Older people who might otherwise be spending Christmas alone are being invited into Abbeyfield House in Westbury, as part of the charity’s Coping at Christmas campaign, launched last week.

Abbeyfield Houses all over the UK will be taking part in the campaign, which was launched on November 25 and offers a free meal or an overnight stay for older people.

According to Abbeyfield’s latest research, nearly two thirds of people over 65 in the UK say they find it hard to cope at Christmas due to isolation and loneliness.

This is the third year that the Abbeyfield Society is running its Coping at Christmas campaign, with hundreds of Christmas dinners served to older guests last year.

Abbeyfield Society’s chief executive Paul Allen said: “We invited hundreds of people up and down the UK into our houses last year over the Christmas period.

“It was a joy for Abbeyfield to celebrate Christmas with them and I know that our residents really enjoyed it. We hope even more people will join us this year. Christmas is for sharing and that’s what we are determined to do.”

As part of the campaign, people are able to pledge support by visiting www.abbeyfield.com