A Portsmouth primary school is offering free Christmas lunches to people in the community

Beacon View Primary Academy is turning its attention to Christmas kindness this year as they work to offer free Christmas dinners for hundreds of Paulsgrove residents.

The school has been working alongside a number of local businesses and organisations in the area including Caterlink, the Peace Centre, Co-Operative Funeral Care and St Michaels and All Angels Church, to be able to put on this festive shindig.

The event will take place on December 23, and the Christmas lunch will be split into two sessions, one at 12pm and the other at 1:30pm, and the school is asking that people interested in attending the lunch, book via the school’s website.

Sally Hodgson, principal at Beacon View, said: ‘We weren’t able to do anything when I joined because we were still being very cautious due to Covid, but this year, we wanted to do something as an act of kindness for the community.

‘Christmas shouldn’t be about how big the present is, it is about giving something to someone else. Each week we give out a kindness bear that goes round the students and we talk about the importance of being kind. We are trying to show people it doesn’t cost anything to be nice and this is me putting my actions into words.

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‘We are hoping to serve about 500 but we are also hoping to make 600 meals to go out to the community for people that are at home and can’t make it to us.’

The school has been overwhelmed with the amount of support and community spirit that people all across Paulsgrove have shown to help make residents in the community enjoy their Christmas.

Sally has also seen a number of volunteers coming forward to serve the food during the event, and she said that the group will take turns so that they are able to eat lunch with everyone at one of the sessions.

The prefects for the school will also be present at the event and it is hoped that they will be helping to decorate the school’s main hall in festive frills to help get everyone in the Christmas spirit.