A Stevenage restaurant and a cafe in Hitchin are to open their doors to the homeless, elderly and emergency services on Christmas Day.

Misya Meze and Grill in Stevenage Old Town will be serving Christmas lunch for free from 12 noon until 4pm to the homeless, the lonely and emergency response staff working on Christmas Day.

Isa Demir, owner of Misya restaurant in High Street, said “I chatted with my family about how we could do something more this Christmas and they decided they wanted to open the restaurant up to those people who will not be sitting down to a family dinner.

“We decided that we would provide a free lunch to the homeless, lonely and emergency response staff such as the police, ambulance and fire service staff to provide a little festive cheer.”

Isa and his staff have been praised for their efforts by Stevenage’s MP Stephen McPartland.

“This is an incredibly kind gesture from a wonderful local business that is opening its doors on Christmas Day,” he said.

“Isa is really putting the festive spirit back into Christmas. I am so proud of the whole team and the massive community spirit that we have here in Stevenage.”

Herts police Chf Sup Matthew Nicholls was also full of praise. saying: “This is a wonderful and kind gesture from the owners and staff at the Misya restaurant.

“Stevenage police officers and staff will be working all hours and days of the holiday season, and I fully support this opportunity to provide some company to those who may be alone on Christmas Day.

“This local gesture is greatly appreciated.”

Hitchin’s Caffe Elite in Bancroft will be open from 12 noon until 3pm, providing a free Christmas dinner for those sleeping rough and the elderly who would otherwise spend the day alone.

Owners Salih Kaya and Yusuf Cakir said: “We took over the cafe September 2017 and there was one or two homeless people, but this year we noticed a big increase of homeless people.

“We would ask elderly people ‘are you looking forward to Christmas?’ and there reply would be ‘no, as I’m alone’.

“So we decided to open our doors to bring the community together and enjoy a Christmas lunch.”

To book a place at Caffe Elite, call 01462 451298.