ORGANISERS of weekly lunches for pensioners are facing an unexpected problem - they do not have enough cooks to prepare meals for an increasing number of diners.

In the past five years, the number of people taking part in the Teesdale Day Club lunches served in ten village halls around Barnard Castle has risen from 158 to 270.

But the scheme's manager, Peter Blackmore, told the annual meeting in Mickleton that there is now a problem because they do not have enough cooks.

He said: "A number of our cooks have retired and become members. We are having difficulty finding any more to come in and work for one or two days a week."

He has helped in the kitchen himself at times, even though he has no experience of cooking for large numbers.

He said: "I didn't find it too hard, but I'd much rather find a few more real cooks."

Mr Blackmore is hoping to find cooks who have recently retired or given up work for other reasons and would like to continue cooking while earning some money.

Anyone interested can visit Mr Blackmore at his office in Claire House, Barnard Castle, or call him on 01833-695822 between Monday and Thursday, in the morning.

Club members, whose ages range from 59 to 98, pay £2 for three-course lunches plus tea or coffee. However, funding from the Big Lottery has stopped, and so the price will soon have to go up to £3 soon, the first increase in six years.

Chairman Rob Bland, said it would reflect the true cost of providing the meals, and pensioners who attended the meeting said the meals would still be a bargain.