A GROUP of volunteers will be spending Christmas morning bringing festive cheer to east Lancashire residents.

The volunteers will be visiting elderly and sick people to take them a present and spend some time with them.

The initiative has been organised by Muslim-run organisation Connect UK. And it will be led by Blackburn councillor Salim Sidat, who has been collecting donated gifts for the past few weeks.

Cllr Sidat has approached Royal Blackburn Hospital and East Lancashire Hospice to identify people who will not be at home over the festive period, and who may appreciate a visit.

Around 40 people have signed up to be part of the visiting team.

They have identified four hospital wards, as well as several hospice residents, to visit.

Cllr Sidat said: “Even though we do not celebrate Christmas, we understand other people’s religious needs. We are going to see people who will be on their own on Christmas morning and take them a box of chocolates.

“It is a special time of year for people. If people are lonely we will visit them. It can be a hard time for people who do not have family. The intentions are that we talk to them and deliver a present, make them smile, make them feel they belong, make them feel we are here and make them feel special.”

Cllr Sidat said he hopes the initiative, which runs every year, will also promote community cohesion.

The charity has been involved in other community projects, and has collected tonnes of food for local foodbanks.

Cllr Sidat said there can often be bad feeling towards Muslims, and he hopes that the Christmas initiative will lead to better relations between east Lancashire’s communities.

He said: “It is not all bad news about the Muslim community. We do do some good work.”