Once again the Christmas Day lunch in Marlborough Town Hall was a hit with pensioners.

Dozens of volunteers put smiles on the faces of 63 OAPs when they sat down to enjoy a traditional three-course meal subsidised by generous local sponsors.

Now in its tenth year, the event, which started at the Jubilee Centre, is held in the town hall by former Gazette reporter Nigel Kerton and his wife Joy, a professional chef.

Mr Kerton said: “We had a great day thanks to all our generous volunteers. There were 30 helpers. It was a bit chaotic at first but once things got settled down they all went round the room and introduced themselves.

“Joy and my granddaughter Evie worked non-stop in the kitchen to cook the best Christmas dinner in Marlborough.

“The funniest thing that happened was a small group of Japanese tourists popping in because they were with a tour guide from Swindon who noticed there was something going on in the town hall.

“They were very impressed, but they couldn’t understand the concept of old people being alone at Christmas because they have a culture of having the extended family looking after them.”

The food was bought thanks to a donation from Waitrose and two staff members, Janice Kingston and Pam Watts, volunteered on the day.

David and Angela Daw from Marlborough-based Event Exhibition and Design Ltd gave a cash donation and Sumbler Bros butchers donated bacon and sausages as well as cold meats for the evening tea which the guests took home with them.