Free Christmas lunch held in Sydney

Hundreds of people have gathered at the Wesley mission is Sydney for a free community Christmas lunch.

Transcript

00:00Well, the Christmas activities are well underway here at the Wesley Mission in the heart of

00:06Sydney.

00:07There's a real feeling of excitement and also a sense of community.

00:11Around 300 people from all walks of life have shown up here for a free Christmas lunch.

00:16Now, the foundation supports the communities most vulnerable, including those who are sleeping

00:21rough but also those who are struggling financially this time of year.

00:26There is a full Christmas lunch on offer including roast turkey, pork, ham and even

00:31dessert.

00:32There's even singing happening in the background as well.

00:34Now, organisers say demand for events like this is higher than ever.

00:39They say that it's important for people who'd normally be isolated to be surrounded by other

00:43people on days like this.

00:45Here's what organisers had to say earlier.

00:47Well, Christmas Day is a time when people feel loneliness, experience loneliness more

00:52than any other time.

00:53It's a time when calls to lifeline often will hit a peak because people feel the sense

00:59of loss or a sense of isolation.

01:01We want to make sure that nobody feels isolated.

01:04Now, events like this wouldn't be possible without the help of around 50 volunteers who've

01:09given up their Christmas Day to be here to organise this lunch.

01:13We're expecting Santa to come out later this afternoon to hand out presents to children

01:18and also anyone else who's shown up here to really spread the festive cheer.