Cuppa is hoping to reach out and spread some festive cheer to anyone who might be on their own this Christmas

East Anglian Daily Times: Sarah Fitch, owner of new cafe Cuppa Picture: SARAH LUCY BROWNSarah Fitch, owner of new cafe Cuppa Picture: SARAH LUCY BROWN (Image: Archant)

Cuppa, on High Road West in Felixstowe, will be opening its doors on Christmas day, inviting anyone who finds themselves alone to come along and enjoy a lovely lunch in good company.

"There are a lot of people who are actually having a really rotten time at Christmas," says cafe founder Sarah Fitch. "Father Christmas doesn't come for a lot of children, lots of people have been recently bereaved and others find it to be a very lonely time of year. People can really be struggling, and we just don't know about it."

Community has been at the very heart of Cuppa since it first opened to the public earlier this year. Sarah's vision for the café was to help to tackle loneliness by creating a warm and welcoming place for individuals and groups to meet. Cuppa has been hosting weekly 'Friendly Fridays' for some weeks now, offering people a chance to socialise and connect with others - all while enjoying some nibbles and a good cup of tea. The café team now hopes to build on the successes of its previous initiatives with its free Christmas Day Lunch.

"We've created a really nice community with the café, so we just wanted to build on that," says Sarah. "Our Christmas Lunch plan has been really well received so far, and we've had plenty of offers of help and donations. We hope this can really make a difference to those people who are feeling lonely and isolated this Christmas."

Lunch is open to all, and welcomes people of all ages and backgrounds. Thanks to some generous donations and The Rotary Club of Felixstowe, the meal will also be completely free to enjoy. Visitors will be treated to a three-course lunch with all the trimmings, followed by cheese and biscuits. Along with this lovely festive food, anyone visiting the café will, of course, receive a warm welcome and some much needed company.

Cuppa has space for around 30 people, and the team needs to know how many people to cater for. So, if you'd like to come and share Christmas lunch with some friendly faces at Cuppa, get in touch with Sarah by ringing or texting 07308285993. You can keep an eye on updates on the Cuppa Facebook page: Facebook.com/CuppaFelixstowe