Naval base on a festive mission
HMS Sultan staff invite pensioners over for a very special Christmas dinner DAVID GEORGE reports
OFFICERS at a naval base have been spreading Christmas cheer as they invited local pensioners to join them for dinner.
Guests from care homes across Gosport were brought to HMS Sultan for a free evening of entertainment, which included performances by The Military Wives’ Choir, drinks and a two-course meal, as well as bingo, dancing and a raffle.
Warrant Officers’ and Senior Rates’ Mess both funded and hosted the evening, with money coming from HMS Sultan Summer Charity Chest and charity horse racing nights, organised by fundraising champion Les Heyhoe.
Mess members also served food and drinks to their guests, as well as joining in with the fun.
Base Warrant Officer Mike Reid said: ‘This is an event that the Mess at HMS Sultan have put on for the pensioners for many years.
‘As the Base Warrant
Officer and the Mess president I couldn’t be more delighted to support such a cause.
‘It’s an opportunity for my Mess to reach out to the older members of our community and show them that we care and value their past achievements which have helped shape everything we have today.’
The Military Wives’
Choir added extra sparkle to proceedings by performing a selection of carols to get the evening under way, before performing a selection of popular songs after dinner to bring the entertainment into full swing.
Chief among the partygoers that night was Ivy, a woman on the cusp of her 104th birthday.