Tadley community groups benefit from McCarthy Stone’s donations

A retirement home developer has made donations to two Tadley-based community organisations to help their operations over the festive period.

McCarthy Stone, the company behind Yelland Place in New Road, donated £250 to Tadley Community Church to help provide ingredients for its annual Christmas Day lunch.

On Christmas Day, church volunteers served more than 80 meals in the Ambrose Allen Centre to locals who would otherwise have been alone.

Tadley Community Church organiser Nathan Brown said: “We are absolutely delighted that McCarthy Stone has generously donated towards our Christmas Day lunch in Tadley.

“It’s so important to remember those in the community living alone with no visitors or family.

“This money helps us to serve the residents of Tadley and surrounding villages to make sure no one spends Christmas on their own.

“The initiative started small, but today has grown into a large annual event, so we would also like to thank all our volunteers for their help organising the event.”

McCarthy Stone Southern’s divisional marketing manager Nicki Beswarick said: “Christmas can be a very lonely time for older people, especially those who have lost loved ones, or those who are unable to leave the house due to their health.

“Tadley Community Church is such a wonderful community and being able to support this amazing lunch event is an important part of what we do at McCarthy Stone.

“We are thrilled that our donation will really make a difference at a key time of year.”

McCarthy Stone also made a donation of £500 to Tadley’s Men Shed, a community group dedicated to providing a space for people to pursue and practise practical interests and skills in the town.

The shed, which is currently based out of its own portable building workshop at St Mary’s Church in Newchurch Road, will be officially opened by the mayor of Basingstoke and Deane on Friday, January 19, at 2pm.