Regular attendees at the Camber Community Lunches had a special treat on Friday, 5th December, when The Gallivant generously hosted a free Christmas lunch in their beautiful Harry’s Restaurant. Wines were donated by Oxney Organic, and the event was supported by local businesses, who donated gifts for a prize draw.
The lunches were started in Camber Memorial Hall by a small team of volunteers in November 2022. It was a way of bringing the community together after the difficult years of the pandemic, when so many of our regular activities and gatherings had been disrupted. They met every Friday in the hall, with volunteers preparing homemade soups, bread and cakes, served with tea, coffee and friendly smiles!
Originally intended as a short-term measure, the lunches proved popular, with about fifteen people coming regularly and others dropping in from time to time. New friendships were formed, and those attending developed a real sense of community and camaraderie.
They groupn decided to continue after a break during the summer months. Weekly gatherings started again in October 2023 and continued through to Easter 2024. In October 2024, it went down to one lunch a month but decided to meet throughout the year, with just a short break over the summer holidays.
The lunches are free and open to all who live in and around Camber – yes, there is such a thing as a free lunch! However, the donations box is well-stocked at the end of every lunch, so that, in the end, the lunches more or less pay for themselves, and the group can reimburse our volunteers for the ingredients they use to prepare the meals.
Thanks to an approach made on our behalf by Councillor John Bradford, the Gallivant began providing a free Christmas lunch at the Memorial Hall in December 2023, with their chef and staff bringing prepared food, ready to serve at a sit-down meal for volunteers and regular attendees. This time, it was a special treat to be invited to the restaurant, where Head Chef Matthew Harris and his team served us a delicious meal. Grace Dent gave a glowing review to Harry’s Restaurant, and we agree that the praise is well-deserved.
Thank you to everyone, including all our donors and sponsors. In these bleak and anxious times, it is more important than ever that small communities work with local businesses to create a sense of hope and friendship.
Thank you to Elise Roberts, Matthew Harris and their team at The Gallivant. And thank you to local individuals and businesses:
- BJs on the Beach
- Camber Landing
- Chris O’Donoghue
- Emma Batten
- Oxney Organic Wines
- Plaristo of Rye Candle Company
- Rye Garden Centre
- Salts Farm Shop
- The Grapevine
- The Owl
- The Paper Place, Rye
We also want to say a special thank you to The Rye Bonfire Society for a generous donation, which enables us to purchase more cooking and serving equipment and to increase lunches to twice a month at some point in 2026.
