A Cockermouth bistro owner was touched by the generosity of people who supported her initiative to offer free meals on Christmas day.

Manon Plouffe, of Wild Zucchinis, on Station Street, served a free traditional Christmas dinner to 26 people.

The event was originally organised for people who would be lonely at Christmas.

After Storm Desmond hit the invitation was extended to people affected by flooding.

A family with a severely disabled child also attended.

Seven of the 26 meals were delivered to people who were too ill to go to the bistro.

Manon said: "It was a very nice day. Although we would have liked to have more people, the ones who came were over the moon and had a nice time.

"A lot of volunteers came in to help so the people were very well looked after.

"There was a family friendly atmosphere, people were mingling, walking around and chatting, it was very touching."

Other businesses donated towards the initiative.

Regular customers and people that Manon had never seen before also donated bottles of wine and gave cash.

Manon said: "It just shows you how people pull together."

A collection was also held in the bistro in the run up to Christmas.

It raised £1,510 which will be split between Cumbria Community Foundation's flood appeal and Poverty Swap, a charity that supports disadvantaged communities around the world.

Manon was helped on the day by her husband Andy May, headteacher at St Michael's Primary School in Bothel, daughter Saskia, 20, and son, Nathaniel, 17.

She said: "Some old staff also came in to help and the staff were very generous by putting some of their tips into the collection boxes for the flood appeal.

"It just shows how fortunate I am to be surrounded by these people."