AHEAD of one of the biggest years in the history of the Rotary Club of Okehampton, members organised a cheery Christmas dinner to help support young people in the town.

Each year, the club organises a Christmas lunch for senior citizens in Okehampton and the surrounding area. This year the lunch took place at the Ashbury Hotel on December 19 and 20, offering full lunch and a raffle for nearly 300 people over two days. Children from Okehampton Primary School also attended to sing carols to those enjoying their Christmas dinner. Money raised by the lunch and raffle will go towards helping young people in Okehampton.

The lunch and Rotary coffee morning on December 21 were the last for the club in 2013 ahead of a landmark year of 2014, when the club celebrates its 50th anniversary. Among the events being planned to celebrate the past half century of charitable Rotary activity in Okehampton are a celebratory lunch in February for current and past members of the club, and the president's dinner in March, with the mayor, presidents of other charitable clubs in Okehampton, MP Mel Stride and the Rotary district governor.

Okehampton Rotary Club president Alan Roberton said: 'The anniversary will celebrate 50 years of giving. We have no admin fees, no overheads to pay. Everything we raise goes straight to the charity or cause we are celebrating.

'I think that means a lot to people. With our recent fundraising for the ShelterBox appeal for the Philippines, the support we received was brilliant. People were pulling up in their cars, rolling the windows down and handing notes out to us. It was incredible.

'The people of Okehampton are very generous. It is a giving town. It is a big achieve-ment for the Rotary Club of Okehampton to reach its 50th anniversary, and the support from people in the town is a big part of that.'