Couple give up their Christmas Day to serve dinner to residents at sheltered housing scheme in Crawley

The couple have given up their Christmas Day for the past seven years to cook the meal for the residents of Schaffer House in Maidenbower where they work as cleaners. And they have been doing it for the past seven years.

The residents pay for their meals and over the years they have raised more than £6,000 which was donated to the special care baby unit at East Surrey Hospital.

Lynne and Andy’s granddaughter was born at the hospital weighing 2lb 15oz in May 2012. This Christmas they raised £1,700 which is being donated to the air ambulance service.

Throughout the year, they organised a charity breakfast, cake sale, a Christmas sale of items from wrapping paper to cuddly toys made by the sister of a tenant.

Lynne said: “It’s a truly rewarding day. We could never have done it without the support of the tenants at Schaffer House. We would like to thank the managers from Iceland in Three Bridges for their very kind donation of the turkeys, The Co-Op in Maidenbower for the Prosecco and Lindsey the scheme manager at Schaffer House, and our tenant Dave’s sister Valerie for the many items she kindly made for our sales.

"We would also like to thank Jack Kerins and James Hankin, Gatwick security officers who gave up another Christmas to be our waiters and to relatives of the tenants. People have been so kind. Without the support, we couldn’t have done it.”