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Restaurant and Meals-on-Wheels Service
The Restaurant continues to open early in the morning providing
hot coffee and biscuits. Many of the old people bring their breakfast
to have with their coffee round the fire. This service is very popular
and continues to grow. Some old people coming to the Gate House for
advice stop for a cup of coffee and make new friends and in many cases
these new friendships do far more for them than all the advice we car
give.
The Meals-on-Wheels service to the home-bound is still the highlight
of an otherwise dull and monotonous day for many. This year we
have lost a lot of old people who have been having meals since the
service was started. The very long cold spell after Christmas took a
heavy toll of the over eighties, but many new ones have been added to
our list so that we are still working to capacity. The Restaurant is
still very popular. Although the first sitting is not served until 12.15
every chair is taken by 11 a.m. and we are looking forward to having
seating capacity for everybody at once when we move, so that nobody
will have to wait in a queue for a second sitting.
The Women's Voluntary Service continues to provide transport and
helpers to cover the north of the Borough and their two vans are still
working to capacity. We are very grateful to Mrs. Meekins and her helpers
for this service which they render so faithfully.
During the year we found it necessary to close the luncheon club
at the Church of the Lady Margaret, Chatham Street, but the luncheon
club at the Women's University Settlement is still very popular and is
very much appreciated by the old people in that area.
69,127 meals were cooked and served, in the restaurant, at the
Luncheon club and by Meals-on-Wheels during the year.
Transport
Our transport service is growing much more rapidly than we can
cope with it. Now that it is known that we will arrange transport for
an old person to visit a sick relative in hospital, or to be helped on
any journey which they must take, we get many requests. Our cry is for
more voluntary drivers who are free during the day. We would like to
take this opportunity of thanking P.C. Dunn who gives up so much of his
spare time to this work. Also to Mr. Warhurst who, until his illness
did so much driving. We look forward to the time when he will be fit
enough again to help us.
Chiropody
Foot clinic day is still an important day in the lives of many of
the old people. And the clinic is still ably looked after by Miss
Addiscott who is friend to all who attend. A car ride, a chat with old
friends plus a great improvement in their walking means a lot to the homebound.
We are getting more applications than we can deal with at the