As a man with a very good job and enviable lifestyle Anthony Hegney had it all.
But one Christmas he decided he had had his fill of indulgence and wanted to do something for those less fortunate.
So this Christmas he is taking the silver spoon out of his mouth and instead will organise a day the homeless and hungry will remember for a very long time.
For Anthony, general manager for caterers The Lindley Group at Huddersfield’s John Smith’s Stadium, is inviting 100 needy people to enjoy a Christmas Day luncheon.
And he is asking for volunteers to join him at the stadium.
There are three sessions: 10am-noon, noon-2pm and 2pm-5pm.
Anthony, who has served the Queen in the past and chaperoned TV celebrities and sports stars, said he was looking forward to the day.
“I started off wanting to do something like a soup kitchen on Christmas Day and this is what we have come up with eventually,” he said.
“I felt like I had stayed at home for the last few years and over-indulged.
“One day I had a Eureka! moment and I thought this has got to stop and I wanted to do something to help. I really wanted to give something back.”
Debs Murphy, acting manager at Huddersfield’s Methodist Mission which has hosted a dinner for the homeless and needy for years, said she was delighted that this year the event would be hosted at John Smith’s Stadium instead.
“It is an historic event and something that has been around for years,” she said. “We can only host 32 people whereas Anthony is able to serve 100 people so that is great.
“There is nothing worse than people sat at home alone on Christmas Day, it is horrible. We could help 500 on a day like this as there are a lot of people who need help in Kirklees.
“But 100 places is a good start. It will be the first year that the stadium will have hosted it so limiting it to 100 is sensible as it’s a new venture for them.
“For these people to sit down on Christmas Day and have a meal and socialise with other people is very good indeed.”
