Chelsea Pensioners were getting into the Christmas spirit with the help of a Carmarthenshire cheesemaker at the Dairy Council's annual Ceremony of the Christmas Cheeses last week. Llanboidy Cheesemakers from Whitland donated their Llanboidy cheese to the ceremony. Over 55 individual cheeses were donated in total by cheesemakers from all over Great Britain. The ceremony, at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, is a festive celebration for the Chelsea Pensioners who live there. Mr. Jack Vardy, aged 93, who served in the Hampshire Regiment, was watched by his fellow in- Pensioners as he was invited to cut the biggest cheese with a ceremonial sword. The festive ceremony continues a tradition dating back to 1692 when the hospital asked a local cheesemonger to provide the pensioners with cheese as a Christmas treat. The Dairy Council has hosted the event since 1959.
