A GROUP of pensioners from Weymouth were feeling chipper after going on a day out funded by a local fish and chip shop and readers of the Echo.

The group, who all live on the Fiveways estate in Weymouth, were treated to a trip to Blue Pool and the Teddy Bear Museum in Wareham by the owners of Alf’s Fish and Chip shop who had been fundraising since February.

The group travelled by coach to The Blue Pool to go on a tour of the grounds and of the Teddy Bear Museum at the site.

When they arrived back in Weymouth, they were treated to a sausage and chip supper from the owners of Alf’s Fish and Chip shop in Weymouth.

John and Karen Pearce own the fish and chip shop and organised the trip.

Mr Pearce said: “We raise money for different things and this time we raised the money to send members of the local community to Blue Pool in Wareham.

“Our customers and readers of the Dorset Echo put money into the charity box on the counter to help raise money for trips like this, and then we contribute the rest so I want to thank the readers of the Echo for helping us to raise the money because without them we couldn’t do it.

“You can’t buy a smile, and sending the older generation, who live on their own and get lonely, on trips like this is important. We’re a close-knit community here so it’s nice to see them smiling.”

Colin Clarke, who went on the trip, said: “The trip is great.

“We are all old people and it is nice to get out and go somewhere and have a little bit of company with people of our own age.

“It’s something different for us to do. Most of the people who go on the trip live on their own and can get quite lonely.

“I really want to say thank you to John and Karen who have organised it all. They do so much for charity and they do look after us who live around here. He really is an amazing bloke.”