A landlady from Blackburn is hosting a free Christmas dinner this afternoon (December 10) to help people and bring the community together.

In the spirit of giving this festive season, Carole Davis, owner of The Clifton Arms in Grimshaw Park, is inviting locals to join the free Christmas lunch at 3pm on Sunday.

The community Christmas lunch is made possible through the kindness of three generous customers who donated money for the meat and Woods Fruit and Vegetables stall in Darwen also donated ingredients to the Christmas spread.

“We’re so grateful to everyone whose supported us to put this on,” Carole said.

“Everyone’s welcome to the meal, whether you’re lonely and want to spend some time with people, we don’t judge. Anyone can come and enjoy a warm meal.

“People can come into the pub alone and leave with new friends. Our message is there are no strangers here, only friends we haven’t met yet.

“Times are difficult at the moment so a strong community is important. We know people are struggling so we want to help where we can and make the community a better place.”

The event is expected to accommodate around 40 people and any leftover meals will be boxed up if anyone couldn’t get a seat. There will be live entertainment and a raffle on at the event.

This community Christmas lunch comes just days after the pub gave away free fish and chip dinners on December 8 thanks to sponsor Theresa Goldson and Old Mill Hill Chippy in new Chapel Street.

Visit The Clifton Arms on social media to find out more about their community events and fundraisers.