There was a nice report on Meals on Wheels from Border tonight. Watch from 7 minutes onwards whilst it's available on their website. Thank you ITV News.
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The feature on BBC Radio Cumbria is being aired today at 12.15/12.20. Have a listen and give us a call on 01228 267167 if you can help.
What does the NHS winter surge mean for us? Over the last 12 months we have been working with the NHS and other agencies to try and shorten hospital time for patients. This means we supply meals to those who might only need them temporarily while they recover their health, as well as those with longer term needs. Good nutrition is a key to recovery and our goal, as always, is to provide for all who request help.
Numbers have risen significantly and at present, we serve 180 meals per day, hot and delivered to the door by our volunteers. While the present crisis might leave you feeling helpless, there is something you can do. We need more volunteer drivers - we have asked before and have lots of lovely people giving their time - yet the demand keeps increasing. If you have a car and can give some time weekdays, give us a call on 01228 267167 and talk to Trish. Mileage expenses paid. You can make a difference! Our thanks to Carlisle City Council's 'Restarting Communities Fund' for their contribution to the refurbishment of toilets at Shady Grove Community Hall. Having something 'to go on' is so important! The humble loo may not be top of the list when it comes to thinking of how to improve our communities - but you would be surprised at what an effect it can have!
In August 2020, after a very difficult period due to Covid 19, we started operating out of a new kitchen at Shady Grove Road in Carlisle. We now have a 25 year lease on the building - our thanks to Carlisle City Council. More space, more staff, more meals and we intend to grow in our provision to the area.
Currently we serve Carlisle, Longtown, Brampton and Wigton but as we grow we promise to keep the way we work the same. We pride ourselves on freshly cooked meals everyday, no shortcuts or mass produced foods - just good healthy traditional cooking. But what about the building? Shady Grove Community Hall is a former Salvation Army hall and having a large meeting room, it is available to rent by individuals or community projects and businesses. As the Covid restrictions ease this will be more readily available. To find out more call 01228 267167 The Cumberland News featured us in early December. It's been great to see feedback from loads of people. Some have contacted us asking for meals, others have
offered to help. We ALWAYS need more volunteers, but we also need to get the word out about how good this service is. Our goal is to see more people get our meals, because we know so many are in need. The Cumberland News has helped us in this, so a big thank-you to them. As the report mentions, eventually, we would like to see our work expanded out into other towns in the region. It's quite an ambition, something given time we hope will fall into place. For now, it's about building the service in Carlisle and looking for new opportunities to serve. www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/17280796.successful-carlisle-meals-on-wheels-scheme-could-expand/ Welcome to our new website, it’s taken a little time to get something together. Perhaps it’s not surprising as our staff are often rushed off their feet - but that’s good in a way. Our thanks are due to Cumbria County Council who helped in providing a grant to get this website up and running.
This spring and summer has been a good time for us as we’ve welcomed many new customers. Of course, it’s not any easy journey making the decision not to cook for yourself, or at least, to cook less. However, we like the idea of folks being in their own home, so making it easier for our customers to remain there is a priority. We’re heading for a more challenging season as colder weather comes. Last year we had quite a battle with snow to get our meals out. One day we were quite literally ‘snowed up’ but our friends with 4x4s got us moving the next day. This year? - we’ll have to wait and see, but in the meantime there’s plenty to do, after all, it’s only autumn. One thing worth thinking about is getting the flu jab in time - if you are older or in poor health it’s an important safeguard. |
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