A CROSS Hills care home has issued a special lunch invitation.

Older people in the community are being offered a free meal at Anchor's Townend Close as part of an initiative to tackle loneliness.

The scheme aims to give elderly people on their own the chance of company and winter-warming fresh food.

Sharon Mackie – manager of Townend Close, in Victoria Road – said: "We're delighted to be inviting older people from our community to come and join us for lunch.

"Research from the Campaign to End Loneliness shows that around ten per cent of the population aged over 65 feels lonely all or most of the time, with more than 800,000 older people being chronically lonely.

"It is important as a charity that we are not only committed to happy living for our residents, but that we do the same for the local community by providing a hot nutritious meal to vulnerable older people.

"The lunch will give visitors the chance to have a chat over a meal and make new friends."

For more details, call 0800 0854339.