Leamington bar and restaurant helps spread Christmas cheer for charity Helping Hands

Photos of the Christmas dinner at House and donations being given by staff at Tesco and Leamington Rotary Club.

On December 25, House, which is on The Parade, opened its doors to charity Helping Hands for a special Christmas dinner.

Helping Hands, which is also in Leamington, helps the homeless and vulnerable in the Warwick District.

The dinner was put on for vulnerable families, families with low-income and for those who would have been alone on Christmas Day.

House in Leamington set up for the Christmas dinner.

This was the second year that House has put on a Christmas event for Helping Hands and Co-owner Alex Fleet and his family manned the kitchen and the bar to ensure everyone had everything they needed for the Christmas party.

Lianne Kirkman, manager at Helping Hands, said: “House were brilliant and it was Alex Fleet, (one of the House partners), his mum and dad and sister, who ran the lunch for us.

“It was so special to be able to invite vulnerable families, some from domestic violence refuges, low income families and others who would have otherwise spent Christmas day alone, to such a nice restaurant.

“They were fed such a beautiful three-course meal. It really was a special.

“We had donation of Turkeys from Tesco and a local family Tony and Yolanda O’Brien and THYME donated stuffing and pigs in blankets.

“We were also able to give out Christmas gift bags to all who attended, which were donated by Leamington Rotary Club.”

Jonathan Fleet from House, said: “On Christmas Day, we opened the doors to the Helping Hands charity for a traditional Christmas dinner.

“Approximately 40 people, about 20 of whom were children and teenagers, enjoyed food, drinks and a festive atmosphere.

“All the children received a bag full of toys and sweets, donated by the community, to make sure Christmas was a special time for all.

“Christmas is really a time when we need to focus on giving rather than receiving and the team at House get a vast amount of pleasure in being able to give a bit back to the community.

“It was lovely to meet the people who came to lunch, and we were overwhelmed by their stories and appreciation for this little thing we were able to do for them.

“House will be closed until January 12.”