Woman Threatened with Fine for Putting Up Posters Inviting Lonely People to Christmas Dinner

A bunch of Grinches on a city council in the United Kingdom threatened a woman with fines for putting up posters inviting people who are lonely to enjoy a free Christmas dinner.

Mo Fayose, a 44-year-old woman who works as a mental health nurse, had an idea to put up posters around Basford, Nottingham, inviting people who were lonely over the holidays to a free Christmas dinner.

The mental health nurse began hosting Christmas dinners for the lonely three years ago, starting out by inviting five people over to her house for a festive three-course meal.

As the event grew more popular, she rented out two town halls that could hold up to 100 guests to accommodate the influx of people.

Throughout the year, Fayose raises around £3,000 ($3,756 USD) to cover the costs of food, decorations, and event space.

But the people on the Nottingham City council seemed to be less than enthused with the idea.

A community protection officer with the city ordered the single mother-of-two to “immediately” remove the posters advertising the event.

Fayose said she removed the flyers, but said she was floored by the council’s decision to go after her for putting up posters.

“I was really shocked when I got the email telling me I was breaking the law. I just wanted to help people who were on their own at Christmas,” Fayose said, referencing the email she received from the council on December 4. “This was the first time I had received an email like this from the council.”

The council eventually received so much backlash for its actions, that one of the council members released a statement clarifying the incident as a “genuine misunderstanding.”

“It is a really worthy cause, and there has been a genuine misunderstanding,” Nottingham City Councillor Linda Woodings said, stating that the council would not take action against the woman for putting up the posters.

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