Christmas dinner woman in Nottingham City Council win

A woman who hosts Christmas dinner for about 100 people says she is pleased a council has backed down on threats to fine her over her flyers for the event.

Mo Fayose, from Sherwood, Nottingham, raises money for the gathering herself, spending about £3,000 to help combat "festive loneliness".

She put ads on railings but was told by a city council community protection officer to remove them.

Nottingham City Council said no further action would be taken.

Ms Fayose, who is a mental health nurse, spent between £2,500 and £3,000 on the dinners in 2016 and 2017, from her own money and donations.

When she put on the first meal she only expected to host between five and 10 people at her house, but it was so popular she had to hire two venues.

However, in preparation for this year's Christmas Day meal, she received an e-mail from a community officer telling her to "immediately" take down the posters, which had been put up in the Basford area.

The mother-of-two said it "broke" her to read the message, which she found "appalling and crazy" in light of it being a good cause.

"The posters are really important; it's the way to get it to those who are not using social media," she said.

However, since then, the council, while highlighting that fly-posting is a problem in the city, has decided to take no action regarding the posters.

Councillor Linda Woodings said it was "a really worthy cause" and there had been a "genuine misunderstanding".

"The council always promotes the importance of looking after each other and this includes encouraging people to cook a Christmas dinner for neighbours who may be on their own," she said.

She described Ms Fayose's work as "fantastic" and hoped money could be found in the budget to support her efforts in the future.

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