THE Oddfellows in Salisbury has been doing its bit to combat loneliness by running a series of community events ahead of Christmas.

The events have been part of a national campaign by the Oddfellows to improve people’s lives by forging new friendships.

Locals got together for an evening of cheese and wine last month.

And tonight (December 21) enjoy Christmas carols at the High Street bandstand at 6pm. It is free to attend.

Angela Hamilton, the branch secretary at Salisbury, said: “We were delighted to see such a great turnout at last month’s event. It was wonderful to see some new people attending as well as familiar faces. We’re looking forward to the next event where we’ll have Christmas carols.

"These get togethers are what the Oddfellows is all about, a great opportunity for people to make new friends and have fun.”

Jane Nelson, CEO of the Oddfellows, said: “This campaign has been all about meeting new people and encouraging friendships. For us this is something that is particularly important in the run up to Christmas, we believe nobody should be lonely or suffer in silence and this time of year can be particularly hard for people who don’t have friends or family to share it with. We want to encourage people to come along and meet us and find out more about what we can offer.

“We are here for everyone, and welcome people from all walks of life. We look forward to seeing all the new faces at our upcoming event and hope everyone has a fantastic time.”