One of Romford’s leading care homes has been celebrating a successful Christmas that saw it offer much needed to support to lonely members of the community.

Hillside Nursing Home in North Hill Drive, Harold Hill was one of a number of homes and centres in the Gold Care Home group to host a Community Christmas event, which invited lonely people aged 65 and over into the home on Christmas day for a free meal and good company.

With the backing of local radio stations and the Recorder, the event was a hit and the home not only had people join it for dinner but also had offers of help and donations from other members of the community to help make the day run as smoothly as possible.

Speaking about the success of the event, Maribelle Law, care manager at Hillside Nursing Home, said: “We were blown away with the response we got from the public and we really happy to have people join us at the home for some food, fun and entertainment.

“Christmas can be a very lonely time for elderly people so I am glad we were able to bring cheer – if only for just one day.”

Gold Care Homes, which has care centres and homes across the South East and the rest of the UK, held a number of events over the Christmas period, including hosting a number of memory tree events that invited people to leave a message to loved ones over the festive period.

Kendra Bray, customer relations manager at Gold Care Homes, said: “Everyone at Gold Care had a wonderful Christmas, which was made all the more special by our festive events.

“The Community Christmas concept was a run-away success and we are over the moon that so many people not only joined us at our homes, but also offered their help.”

In December, the Harold Hill nursing home also unveiled a memory tree for its residents, allowing each of them to place a bauble with the name of a loved one on a specially-erected Christmas tree in the centre’s courtyard.