Sheffield pub to hand out free Christmas dinners to on-duty emergency workers on Christmas Day

A Greene King pub in Sheffield is handing out free takeaway Christmas dinners for on-duty emergency workers on Christmas day. Police officers and paramedics will be able to grab an on-the-go Christmas dinner including turkey sandwiches, pigs in blankets and roasties at The Ridgeway Arms as the pub landlord wants to recognise how they keep the public safe every day.

Pub landlord, Adam Chamberlain, 45, said: “We recognise that not everyone gets to spend their Christmas at home with loved ones, with many giving up their day to put the needs of others first.

“We wanted to do our bit and support our Blue Light workers who always go above and beyond by offering them a free Christmas lunch that they can take away, allowing them to enjoy a little festive cheer during their shift.”

Adam announced the initiative on the pub’s Facebook page. The post received a hugely positive response with nearly 4,000 shares and now other pubs in the area have joined up to help out.

The post read: "As part of a community initiative at Greene King, Ridgeway Arms will be providing a hearty lunch of a Turkey Sandwich, with pigs in blanket and roast potatoes to take away for any blue light workers who will be working on the 25th December.

"Fire services, police and ambulance staff can visit the pub on Christmas Day between 12:30pm and 3:30pm to collect their sandwich or contact the pub to have a sandwich ready for them on arrival, free of charge."

Chamberlain added: "I often see police and ambulance staff dashing into the local supermarket or petrol station to grab a bite to eat while they’re out on the road. They never seem to get a break and are dispatched from one job to the next. I was thinking, where can they grab a bite to eat on Xmas day?

"Supermarkets and fast food outlets are closed and service stations will likely be low on food. We are cooking dinner for 150 people on Christmas day and it’s no real hardship for us to do a little extra to help our blue light responders get a meal on a day when amenities are a lot less.

"We’ve managed to get a few other Greene King pubs involved so the offer is in a lot of areas."