New meal service launched for older people in Dudley
An exciting new restaurant service is to be launched next week giving older people in Brierley Hill, West Midlands easy access to home cooked meals.
Polly’s Wheels to Meals, which will extend the Polly’s Kitchen service at Myles Court to elderly members of the wider local community, is being launched at a special open day at the court on Thursday 6 December. The provision of transport to the court will enable more older people to have the opportunity to enjoy freshly cooked nutritious meals as well as taking part in social activities.
The original restaurant initiative at Myles Court, a Housing 21 sheltered housing scheme in John Street, was the brainchild of court managers Jacqui Poole and Helen McHale. They launched the service in May in partnership with Polly’s Tea Room, a well established local business.
Commenting on the success of the restaurant, Jacquie and Helen said: “We wanted our residents to be able to eat together in the dining room with neighbours, family and friends but also have the option of ordering freshly prepared and cooked meals for collection or delivery to their own flats.
“It means that the more dependant residents are enjoying fresh, home cooked food delivered to their doors while the more independent are able to socialise over a home cooked meal with friends and enjoy being waited on.”
The extension of the service to the wider community has developed through a partnership with Age UK Dudley and the local Ring and Ride transport service.
Mandy Merrick of Polly’s Tea Room added: “Realising that the success of the restaurant is bringing people together, I wanted to be able to offer this service to the wider community and so approached Ring and Ride, who were happy to join forces to deliver a ‘Wheels to Meals’ service.
Visitors to the open day at Myles Court, which is open to the public on 6 December between 10am and 4pm, will be able to find out more about the court and the services of Housing 21, a leading provider of housing, care and health services for older people.
Wheels to Meals has been selected as a semi-finalist in the £50,000 Ageing Well Challenge Prize. The challenge, run by Nesta, the UK’s innovation foundation and funded by the Cabinet Office, aims to identify new ideas that can influence and mobilize communities to make significant reductions in reducing isolation and increasing mobility for years to come.
Further information on Polly’s Wheels to Meals can be obtained from Mandy Merrick on 07894 659064.
ENDS
For further media information, please contact Wendy Gornicki, PR & Information Officer, Housing 21 on 0370 192 4338 or email wendy.gornicki@housing21.co.uk
Housing 21’s mission is to promote independence and choice for older people through quality care, health and housing services. It provides around 130,000 hours of care each week and manages around 19,000 sheltered and extra care apartments, providing services to more than 31,000 service users.
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