I almost collided with Santa as I walked through the door at Monty's Place.
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The smell of roast pork and gravy slapped me in the face - in a tantalising way.
The community lunch service was packed with hungry people for the annual Christmas in July feast.
Cobargo's Dave Rugendyke, dressed as Santa, offered me a Cadbury choccy. I kept having to move out of the way for volunteers who were rushing around the room with plates of food and a huge smiles.
I was shown to a vacant seat near the blackboard menu. It read a medley of ham turkey and pork served with veggies and for dessert, a choice of fruit salad, Christmas pudding or pavlova.
Through generous sponsors and individual donations, Monty's Place is able to keep its doors open every Wednesday for anyone who needs a feed.
I looked around the room and saw many different faces enjoying the vibrant atmosphere.
A mother rolled in with her three young children, one in a stroller who wasn't too sure about meeting Santa.
I bumped into an old friend from high school, Ollie, who comes by himself most Wednesdays for the "deadly feed".
The Minstrels band began to play world folk music, which made the room feel even more alive.
I looked to my right and saw a lovely elderly couple sitting so peacefully, enjoying the music - and had to meet them.
Merrick and Jean Willcocks have been married for 62 years, and it was Jean's birthday!
The word quickly spread; a crowd crept up behind her and the band prompted everyone to sing Happy Birthday.
I devoured my lunch and slapped myself on the wrist for having seconds of dessert - the homemade pavlova and fruit salad was too good!
Having grown up in the hospitality industry, the table service surprised me.
I had never experienced such care and sincerity. I truly felt very welcome.
The place began to clear-out as lunch was packed away.
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A few regular customers hung around to score some leftovers.
A volunteer said: "We don't publicise that we do takeaways but for the homeless, we can sometimes give them enough food for the week."
I said thank you to everyone at Monty's Place, and on my way out I placed a small donation in the box - I wished I could give more.
I left feeling recharged, not only from the wonderful food but the kindness and spirit of the volunteers.
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