DOZENS of older and vulnerable people in Darlington are being kept well fed during lockdown thanks to the work of a charity and support from a regional renewable energy firm.

Age UK North Yorkshire & Darlington usually runs a number of regular community cafes and lunch clubs in the town which help to bring older people together and enable them to get a hot two course meal for five pounds, but in response to the restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the urgent needs of the many older local residents who are shielding at home, the charity has set up a new meals on wheels service, reaching up to 120 people every day.

What's more, a £1,000 grant from the community benefits fund linked to Banks Renewables’ nearby Moor House wind farm has enabled the service to expand.

The meals are delivered by a team of volunteers, with service adaptations and social distancing procedures in place to ensure.

Volunteers use visits to check on the wellbeing of their service users, offering information and advice on the current pandemic.

Jonathan Ratcliffe, marketing officer at Age UK North Yorkshire & Darlington, says: “Our lunch clubs and community cafes are always popular, but having lost the ability to run them and with so many older people suddenly having to stay at home, we quickly realised that we needed to change what we offered.

“The idea is to help keep well people well, which a hot meal certainly helps to do, and having this direct contact with vulnerable residents also helps our volunteers check if there’s any other help that they need or any new issues arising that might otherwise go unseen.

“Being able to use the Moor House fund grant to support more people in need is making a real difference in the community at the most difficult of times and we’ve had lots of very positive feedback from our service users.”

Age UK North Yorkshire & Darlington provides a wide range of services for people aged 50+ across an area which includes Richmondshire, Northallerton, Ripon, Skipton and Harrogate, as well as Darlington, and is continuing to run its telephone advice and befriending services during the pandemic.

Lewis Stokes, community relations manager at the Banks Group, adds: “The Age UK North Yorkshire & Darlington team is doing a fantastic job in helping older local people stay safe and well, and supporting their meals service is an ideal way for money from the Moor House fund to be used.

“We’re grateful for the support of the chair of the Moor House Wind Farm Community Fund Committee, Councillor Brian Jones, and the other members of the local fund panel who agreed to move quickly to support projects that are having a terrific impact on their respective communities.”