AFTER spreading festive spirit among elderly residents in Marlborough for more than a decade, Joy and Nigel Kerton are hanging up their aprons and stepping down from organising the Christmas Day lunch.

They have run the event for 11 years but have decided this year will be their last. They are now hoping someone else will come forward and take it over.

Former Gazette reporter Mr Kerton said: “We’ve been doing it for a long long time now and we can bow out with dignity knowing that we’ve put a lot in.”

Mrs Kerton said: “To start with we were quite sad when we made the decision but now we’re quite happy.

“The only sad thing about deciding to finish is our granddaughter Vicky is 14 and she’s helped us for the last three years, and she wanted to take it over but she’s too young.

“We’ve got a few things lined up, we’re going to go out with a bang.”

One of the treats is a raffle where two lucky winners will walk away with £100 in memory of Ann Harley, who helped to organise the Christmas Day lunch and died in April, and former chairman of The Hills Group Robert Hill, whose family gave £1,758 to the event from donations that were made at his funeral in July.

The couple, of St Margaret’s Mead, will hand over the equipment they have accumulated over the years plus a wealth of experience to the new organisers. Mr Kerton said: “We’re hoping that a couple of our loyal helpers will continue helping, if not take it over. It’s not difficult, it’s just like cooking a Sunday dinner but times it by ten.

“If anyone wants any tips or wants our shopping list, we will be available – we’re not disappearing.”

Mrs Kerton said: “When we hand it over there will be a nice healthy bank balance so whoever takes it over won’t have to worry too much about getting sponsorship.”

This year the event in the town hall will cater for 50 people, who will all get a three-course dinner, a tin of biscuits, box of chocolates and sandwiches, a mince pie, sausage roll, sweets and fruit to take home.

Mrs Kerton said: “It’s a nice number for us to cater for. We’ve had more before but this year Devizes and Pewsey are doing one. It’s six tables so it’s nice to set up for that number.”

Mr Kerton said: “We used to have about 40 and last year was our record – we had 64.”