For four decades, Margaret Peacock has been hosting Christmas dinners for the Coleraine community, ensuring no one spends the holiday alone. Her dedication to providing a warm and festive experience for those in need is an inspiring testament to the spirit of Christmas.
Margaret Peacock has been hosting Christmas dinners for the Coleraine community for 40 years. While most of us have a family feast on Christmas Day, a small army of volunteers are giving up their day to ensure others are not left on their own. Margaret Peacock has spent the last 40 Christmas es serving up a huge community meal for people who would otherwise spend the day isolated.
'People want to be with their families at Christmas and they don't think about people who are alone,' she told BBC News NI. The Coleraine pensioner tries to provide 'a good hot dinner, entertainment and a present for everyone' on 25 December. Some of the food is donated by local businesses but aside from a small annual subscription, gifts are paid for by Margaret, her family and friends.She starts collecting gifts every January so that all her guests leave 'with at least three presents each'. Her Christmas gatherings were inspired by her beloved uncle Jimmy, who became a father figure after she lost her parents. 'Uncle Jimmy took over from my parents,' she added, explaining that even in her late teens, she still needed support from a loving older relative.In tribute to the kind-hearted bachelor, she organised a festive feast for people who had no-one to celebrate with.'We stayed up all night that Christmas Eve cooking turkeys and hams.'This year she is hosting about 70 people in Rathain Fold for a full day of feasting.A belly-busting four-course lunch is served an hour later, with meats donated by the Quays restaurant, Portrush. 'Last year, there were five different dessert choices, and some of them had the whole five,' Margaret laughed. Live entertainment and bingo are followed by a 'high tea' of home baking and Christmas pie in late afternoon, before Santa arrives with individual present
Christmas Community Charity Volunteering Kindness
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