A leading coach tour operator has teamed up with the Argos Distribution Centre in Bridgwater to ensure more than 30 under-privileged people enjoyed a festive feast this Christmas.

Bakers Dolphin stepped in to provide a free coach to take the diners to and from their free meal.

The initiative was organised by Chris Ball, services manager at the Argos site at Huntworth Business Park.

He said: “Argos generously provides a free Christmas meal to staff every year.

“This year, I thought it would be great to offer colleagues the opportunity to donate their free meal to members of the local community who are less privileged.

“I found a contact at Grace Advocacy who works with the local foodbank and was able to identify a group of people and it all went from there.

“This is not something that we’ve ever done before here in Bridgwater.”

Mr Ball said originally they were not planning on getting involved with transportation, but it became apparent that if they could not organise something, the whole endeavour would fail.

“I had thought about arranging a minibus, but this would have severely restricted the numbers,” Mr Ball said.

“A colleague here suggested that Bakers Dolphin might be able to help, so I reached out to them and I was delighted when they said yes.

“I would like to thank Bakers Dolphin for their kind assistance and support in getting everyone to and from our site in order to enjoy a complimentary Christmas meal.”

Amanda Harrington, sales director at Bakers Dolphin, said: “When we heard the staff at the Argos site were willing to give up their Christmas dinners for those less fortunate than themselves, we knew the seasonal spirit was very much alive and well in Bridgwater.

“It would have been a tragic shame if those deserving people had not been able to enjoy the meal because they had not been able to get there, so we were only too pleased to have been able to provide one of our coaches.

“The Argos team made a very generous gesture and the least we could do was to support this in the best way we could.”