Monkton was full of Christmas cheer last Tuesday when the ladies of Monkton Sports and Community Hall Committee cooked Christmas lunch for the community.

Those present enjoyed a sumptuous dinner of three courses in a beautifully decorated hall complete with Christmas tree and Father Christmas.

Dinner was cooked and served by Pauline Waters, Liz Jenkins, Dot Lloyd, Jeannette Ashbold, Dawn Pender, Brenda Bowen, Cathy Jones and June Hearn.

As the diners finished the meal with crackers and mince pies, in marched the entertainment. Children from Monkton Priory Community School, accompanied by their teachers Mrs. Carol Cole and Mrs. Lynda Crockford, sang a medley of Christmas songs to the enjoyment of all present. They then recited the 'Night Before Christmas' and invited everyone to join in singing the '12 Days of Christmas'.

After great applause, the children finished with 'We wish you a merry Christmas' and were given sweets and goody bags, presented by Mair Lewis, as they waved goodbye and left.

County councillor Pearl Llewellyn then stood up to give thanks. She said that the hugely enjoyable dinner demonstrated what a wonderful community spirit there was in Monkton.

She gave thanks to the Sports and Community Hall committee for the lovely dinner, second to none; to special guest Mair Lewis from RWE Power (who had kindly sponsored the event); to Angie Meredith (secretary of the MSCA); to the Rev. Paul Nash and his wife Rhuan and to the head and deputy head of Monkton Priory Community School, Mrs. Shelley Morris and Mr. Dylan Lawrence, for their support.

Clr. Llewellyn praised the great contribution the Community Hall made to Monkton and this was in some way indicated by the various groups present. These included the walking group, the bingo group, the darts group, Pembroke and Monkton Local History Society and Mr. Les Thomas, of the Horticultural Group. She commented that she was really proud to represent the Monkton ward on the county council.

Following this, the raffle was drawn, followed by a short game of bingo. Many prizes were won and, as the afternoon ended, everyone agreed that they had had a lovely time.