Christmas came early for elderly residents on a Chalk Farm estate when students delivered food hampers to their doors.

Pupils from every form at Haverstock School in Haverstock Hill, Chalk Farm, went from door-to-door around the Denton Estate in Malden Crescent delivering 54 hampers last Friday.

The scheme has been running for around 25 years and the school tries to match pupils to residents so that the same group delivers to the same person each year.

Lilian Shillingford, 81, has received a hamper for the past 10 years.

“I think I’m a favourite of the school because I go to all of their plays. It’s marvellous, they are very good at the school, it’s quite a community.”

Nikki Haydon, who manages the scheme as community partnerships and extended services coordinator at the school, said: “One elderly recipient was so happy, he couldn’t believe it that people were looking after him in this way.”