Here's how to book your place for Merrilees Family Funeral Directors free Christmas Day dinner

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An invitation has gone out to those who may be alone to join in a community Christmas Day meal organised by a Falkirk family firm.

Merrilees Family Funeral Directors of Middlefield, held a similar event last December 25 and it proved so successful they are hosting another meal.

Organisers Samantha and Andrew Merrilees, along with family and friends, played host to dozen of people who would either be alone for Christmas dinner or who were facing the festive period without loved ones.

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This year’s event will be in St Francis Xavier church hall in Hope Street, Falkirk, making access and parking easier for all those attending.

The Community Christmas dinner organised by the Merrilees family which took place in the Masonic Hall in Grahams Road, Falkirk in 2023. Pic: ContributedThe Community Christmas dinner organised by the Merrilees family which took place in the Masonic Hall in Grahams Road, Falkirk in 2023. Pic: Contributed
The Community Christmas dinner organised by the Merrilees family which took place in the Masonic Hall in Grahams Road, Falkirk in 2023. Pic: Contributed

Inviting people to book a place, the organisers said: “All are welcome to our community event, including families, couples, and individuals, regardless of whether we have cared for your family or not.

"This event aims to help and support those in our community who need it and to prevent anyone from spending Christmas alone.”

This year they have a dedicated fundraising page where people can contribute towards food and drinks – with over £1100 already donated.

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Samantha Merrilees understands what it is like to have a loved one missing from family celebrations following the tragic death of her son, Scott Martin, on January 1, 2021, aged only 16.

Together with husband Andrew, she set up the Scott Martin Foundation to highlight and help with youth mental health issues, but said they wanted to do something more and came up with the idea of the festive dinner.

The couple were overwhelmed by the success of last year’s dinner where a traditional Christmas dinner was served up, particularly the number of people who turned up on the day to help.

Samantha said: "Everyone told us what a great time they had and most said if they hadn’t been there then they would have spent the entire day on their own. We always said that no one should be alone or struggling at Christmas so we wanted to bring people together.”

The couple are now accepting bookings and you can email [email protected] to book a place or send them a private message on Facebook Messenger.

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