Havant family to give Christmas dinner hampers to the community

A family plans to provide 150 Christmas dinner hampers for people who may be struggling over the festive period.

Alfie’s Arc in Leigh Park, Havant, is a community hub set up last year by Lianne Hutchins and her family, in memory of her son Alfie who died of brain cancer aged seven.

It offers year-round support to the community through food parcels, mental health assistance, and various community-based initiatives.

Mrs Hutchins said the Christmas dinners are a way of them giving back to members of the community who have supported their hub.

Alongside her husband Carl and daughter Maisy, Mrs Hutchins told BBC Radio Solent that there was a wide range of people in the community who are struggling financially at the moment, including those who are in full-time work.

She added: “By the time they’ve paid their bills, their childcare, they’ve got no money left at the end of the month, so foodbanks and food provision services like us are there to help them out.”

When thinking about what her son would have thought of the Christmas hampers, being given out in his name, she said: “He loved to help people and he loved food so he’d be laughing, wherever he is.”

The volunteer-run service has received grant funding and money from fundraisers which it has been able to use for the Christmas hampers but it is also welcoming more donations of food and gifts to add to the packages.

“If we can just get any little bits to go in each parcel that would be amazing,” Carl Hutchins said

“Everyone is struggling, so if we can do our little bit to help, we can do that.”