Luncheon Club needs a lifeline

The club grew from humble beginnings with the aim of reducing isolation among the elderly and lonely in the Caw-Nelson Drive area, and has become a vital service to the 60 people who congregate at the Caw Centre three times a week for a hot, nutritious meal and some company.

Up to now the meals have been subsidised, so that elderly and vulnerable club members only have to pay £3 for a three-course meal, but the ability of the club to continue is now under threat.

Government funding for the group was cut off at the end of March, and the organisers Lorraine McCready, chief cook, and Mildred Garfield, community worker, have appealed for a sponsor to step in and help them stay afloat financially until another permanent funding source can be found.

According to Mildred, who volunteers on a Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, many of the members would be isolated within their own homes without the club.

“The members look forward to coming out and mixing and in addition to people in their own communities, we run the club on a cross-community and cross-border basis, with dinners and activities themed to coincide with events like St Patrick’s Day, Easter, Christmas, Hallowe’en. We run the big dinners in conjunction with Caw Nelson Drive Action Group, which issues invites to other groups from the town and across the border, so we have a great mix of people coming to the Caw Centre on a regular basis.

“We operate to capacity most Mondays and Thursdays with 55 to 60 people, and on Tuesdays we have around 45 to 50 with us, but we don’t turn people away,” she said, continuing: “We are very lucky with the quality of the people we have working here with a qualified cook, Lorraine, and a chef, Trevor McNeil, who is voluntary. We also have kitchen assistants Hayden and Heather Thompson and Lorraine Campbell, who work voluntarily, and every year we have taken people in on work placements and Lorraine has put around 50 people through training and work placements in health and safety, food handling and HACCP, so they can gain qualifications.”

“This club has been operating for years. It started with only a couple of people but now we are operating at full capacity, and try not to turn anyone away. Its not just about feeding people, its about the social aspect of the group, helping people get together regularly and offering isolated people a lifeline to other people within their communities,” said Lorraine.

“We have two men who are regulars each week, both of whom have been bereaved, and came to us after they were encouraged to by others. When they came to us they were quite down. Their wives would have done the cooking. After a few weeks we could see their mood lift. It helped them to get out of the house and their depression started to life and they were getting good food and companionship,” she said.

Among those to join the club to combat isolation is Ruby Boyd, who said she joined five years ago after moving into one of the local bungalows.

“My daughter Siobhan said about coming here for my dinner three days a week. I have come to know a lot of people and the meals are fantastic for all we have to pay,” she said.

Anyone who can help the luncheon club by making a donation or subsidising their weekly food and running costs is asked to contact Lorraine on 07840003786 or Mildred on 07809472674.