Council Spreads Christmas Cheer With Festive Dinners for Senior Citizens

Ribble Valley Borough Council has given nearly £14,000 to over 26 lunch clubs to provide a Christmas get-together for the borough’s elderly, while nine of them have received a top-up of up to £800 to provide warms spaces during the winter months.

Many voluntary and faith organisations across Ribble Valley offer a lunch club for older people.

They provide an opportunity for people to enjoy social interaction and a hot meal, as well as signposting towards support and services.

Lunch clubs vary, with some providing a weekly or monthly meal and others offering a get-together with food a few times a year.

Ribble Valley Borough Council has been helping the clubs for many years via its Lunch Club grant, which was launched following the end of the Meals on Wheels service.

The grant also extends to voluntary organisations providing one-off Christmas lunches.

Ribble Valley Borough Council leader Simon Hore said:

“Lunch clubs keep older people engaged in local life, giving them a sense of involvement and belonging.

 

“They provide an essential service in rural areas, by offering a friendly meeting place for those who cannot readily leave their village and may suffer isolation and loneliness.

 

“Our lunch clubs are doing fantastic work and we are delighted to have helped them offer this festive meal to our senior citizens.”

Further information about the next round of lunch club grants, which open in April, or your nearest lunch club, is available from Ribble Valley Borough Council partnership officer Sarah Wells on 01200 425111 or Funding for Lunch Clubs – Ribble Valley Borough Council

You can also find our handy Community Groups Directory online, which lists groups and clubs across the borough offering a host of hobbies, interests, sports and pastimes.