RURAL COMMUNITIES IN LINCOLNSHIRE
North & South Somercotes
Meals on Wheels
The scheme in North Somercotes was started in July 1964 by Mrs. Stokes, from the W.V.S. as it was called then, and myself. They called a meeting in the old Conservative Hall, now the Village Hall, and found that there was a need for the service and that there were ladies who were willing to help. We were given £12 to equip the kitchen, 2 hot locks (to transport the hot meals) and 2 electric cookers that had seen better days in policemen's houses. Of course, £12 went nowhere to buy the large pans etc. which we needed to serve the numbers of customers which we hoped to have in the future, so we begged what we could, and held coffee mornings to raise money to buy the equipment necessary. The County gave us a grant which covered the cook's wages and the cost of the electricity. The kitchen was small, dark and full of mice - conditions which would not be allowed for food preparation these days. The meals cost one shilling (5p), due largely to the generosity of people in the village. If anyone had any surplus produce, they used to bring it up to the kitchen. By this time we had been able to buy a freezer from one gentleman's funeral donations, so we were able to store it all. Every Christmas we were given a huge turkey and this was used to give our old people a Christmas meal. Some came to the Village Hall for the party, whilst others had it served at home.
In 1975 we had a visit from some W.R.V.S. ladies who told us that the price of our meals must go up to 15p - by this time we were charging seven and a half pence per meal - and that all donations had to go to a central pool to be used by all schemes in the County. Mrs. Powell - my co-organiser - and I decided that this was going to be very expensive for our old people, as the cost was to go up with every pension rise, and there was going to be a lot of paper work involved. We decided to hold a public meeting and see if we could run an independent scheme, totally without grants from the County, and without help from the W.R.V.S. We put the meals up to 10p, as this would be easier for old people to manage, and would help with the book keeping. We decided to hold one big "do" a year, and our first big effort was a 'Flower Festival' with paintings and pottery. It lasted 2 days and raised £515 - a lot of money at that time.
By this time the old Conservative Hall had been renovated and turned into the Village Hall, and we had a new kitchen in which to cook our meals. This has since been up dated and all the time new equipment, e.g. - a microwave, is being given.
However, it is because of the help of the many friends of the scheme, and the loyalty of the cooks and the helpers, the drivers and mates who deliver the meals, that the scheme has kept going. Let us wish it well in the new millennium.
However, it is because of the help of the many friends of the scheme, and the loyalty of the cooks and the helpers, the drivers and mates who deliver the meals, that the scheme has kept going. Let us wish it well in the new millennium.
Mrs. Conis Parker.