SLIDESHOW: Is this the true meaning of Christmas?

Three cafes celebrated Christmas by sharing lunch with people who were homeless, lonely or in need across the district.

Grilled and Filtered on Bradford Road, the Sensory World Play Centre and Cafe on Old Westgate and the Crow Nest Park Cafe opened on December 25 and offered free or discounted meals to people struggling to feed themselves or make ends meet.

Michele Hainsworth from the Crow Nest Park Cafe said more than 150 people shared a meal under a marquee in the park despite the miserable weather.

She said: “Everything went fantastically.

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“We had all kinds of people including ex-substance abusers and drinkers, and a lot of them said they were overwhelmed with the fact the door was not shut to them on Christmas Day.”

The cafe also ran a food and clothing bank on the day, which it intends to keep up throughout the year.

Linda Holmes, who runs the Sensory World Play Centre and Cafe in Dewsbury took up the challenge for the first time and said it something she would carry on in the future.

She said: “We had 13 pensioners come and join us for lunch and everyone had a good time.

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“I think we made an impact, especially for those who would have otherwise been lonely.

“The help we had from the volunteers was just overwhelming – for them to give up their Christmases to support us.”

And Sharon McNulty’s Grilled and Filtered Cafe, the first in the area to take on the responsibility, had another successful year.

She said: “It was absolutely brilliant, had 30 people in and 27 ate. But it was unfortunate that we had lost a few of our regulars because they had passed away.

“This is the norm for us now – we wouldn’t have Christmas any other way.”

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