VULNERABLE and elderly people in Christchurch will have a merry Christmas thanks to community donations from Waitrose.

Representatives from Christchurch Baptist Church and local police gathered at the store to receive cheques from the Waitrose Christmas Isolation Campaign.

The church, which provides Christmas Day lunch for vulnerable people in the town, was presented with £950. Police received £550 to provide a fish and chip supper for less mobile residents of the town on December 16.

Department manager Dominic Lambley said every branch of the supermarket donates £1,500 to community projects each year.

“It is all about engaging with the community and we are happy to make these donations at Christmas,” he added.

The cheques are the latest in a series of initiatives to help vulnerable and elderly people over the festive season.

Campaigner Esther Rantzen contacted the Daily Echo earlier this week to highlight new charity Silverline which supports lonely and distressed elderly people.

She urged anyone in need of a friendly voice to call Silverline in the wake of the tragic deaths of four elderly people in Bournemouth in recent weeks.

Roy and Glenys Smith fell from the bedroom window of their flat in Manor Road and a woman in her 70s fell from a bridge at Middle Chine. A 92-year-old was found in bed with a bag over her head in Ensbury Park.

Silverline can be contacted on 0800 470 8090.