Kettering volunteers spending Christmas Day making sure nobody goes hungry

A group of volunteers will spend their Christmas Day making sure nobody in Kettering goes without a festive feast.

The Eden Centre in Montagu Street will once again host a free traditional lunch on December 25 for anyone who needs it.

There will be turkey and all the trimmings, crackers and carols and families are welcome, with food served between midday and 2pm.

It is the seventh year that organiser Frank Rodgers and his family have been involved, with wife Hilary, daughter Grace and son Dan all helping out.

Frank said: "It’s all good fun and we get a lot out of it – it’s very fulfilling.

"It’s a lot easier than the first year we did it. Getting hold of the volunteers is key and we’ve got more than enough this year. Everything else almost falls into place.”

Frank and Hilary were awarded a British Empire Medal in the summer for their work at the Corona Kitchen, which kept people fed when Covid restrictions forced many of the town’s soup kitchens to close. In total they distributed more than 30,000 meals to Kettering’s most vulnerable.

This Christmas they’ll be working as part of a team of 20 volunteers again, preparing food which has been generously provided free of charge by the Co-op Central Midlands Funeral Service. They’ve also been boosted by being given £250 from North Northamptonshire Council’s household support fund and £300 from the Kettering Lions.

Shaun Sedani, who also helped set up the Corona Kitchen, is back this year as a chef. In 2022 about 70 people attended for a Christmas Day meal and this year organisers are expecting it to be busier. They’re preparing about 130 meals, with 20 deliveries going out to those who can’t attend.

But will Frank and his family be able to put their feet up after spending the first part of their Christmas Day volunteering? No chance!

Frank said: "We’ll get home at about 3.30pm or 4pm and then we’ll start on cooking our own Christmas dinner!”