'You can't be a human being – you must be an angel'

A woman who invited a lonely NHS doctor to join her family for Christmas lunch has been described as "an angel".

Francklyne Francis, who specialises in geriatric medicine at Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford, had taken to social media to say he had spent the last few Christmases alone, and that he would like to have some company this year.

His message prompted Lisa Fusedale to offer him a place at the table for her family lunch, even suggesting she could pick him up from his house.

And when Francklyne told her he had been put on the rota for a Christmas Day shift and was unable to accept her kind offer, she wrapped up a portion and took it to the hospital for him instead.

Francklyne, 33, told BBC Essex he had family in Nigeria but had worked in Saudi Arabia before moving to England.

"For six to seven years I've been a medical doctor... I've got to spend my Christmas all alone – without family, without friends," he said.

"I'm quite new in England... so I wanted to do something different this year, but I didn't know how to go about it."

He joined a Chelmsford community group on Facebook, which is where Lisa made contact with him.

"God sent an angel to me," Francklyne said.

Lisa, 39, said her parents had owned pubs for many years, and the family were accustomed to setting the table for large groups.

When she heard that Francklyne had to work on Christmas Day, she hand-delivered his hot meal "with all the trimmings" to the hospital.

"The thought of the dinner still brings the taste to my mouth," he said.

"People say it's the easiest thing to be kind, but it's not... She went all out to make sure people had smiles on their faces at Christmas."

On BBC Essex, the doctor told Lisa: "Just keep doing what you're doing. It's only the universe that knows how to reward you.

"We can't do that. We can only smile and say thank you, but the greater reward comes from the universe and then God."

Lisa replied: "You're more than welcome and there's always next year for Christmas dinner."

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