COMMUNITY members of Heywood came together on Thursday last week to share a free Christmas lunch.

For the monthly ‘Eating with Friends’ program, a special Christmas meal was held for the community and residential care clients of Heywood, organised by Heywood Rural Health (HRH) volunteers, with the support of some of their family members.

The event, held at Heywood Bowling Club, was sponsored by Community Bendigo Bank Heywood and District, with 52 attending.

A traditional Christmas lunch was prepared. Prawns were served for the entrée, and for main were roast lamb, beef, turkey and ham with a choice of cranberry, apple sauce or gravy.

The meat was donated by Daly’s Heywood IGA and Handreck butchers, HRH volunteers coordinator Teisha Davis said.

Another addition to the lunch was a raffle, of which guests are automatically included in.

“Each guest who came has got a gift, a Bendigo Bank mug, and on the bottom of that mug is a raffle ticket, and that's their lucky number,” Ms Davis said.

“I will call out the number and that's how they win their prize.

Up for prize were a women’s hamper and a men’s hamper holding lollies and knickknacks.

‘Eating with Friends’ is a monthly held program coordinated by HRH where Heywood residents can pay a fee of $12 for a three-course meal.

Ms Davis said she hopes to make the Christmas lunch an annual event.

“It’s just to bring the community and residents together,” she said.

“It’s so that the residents are communicating and socialising with the outside world, as well as also bringing the community together.”