Age UK North Yorkshire and Darlington

Age UK Darlington and North Yorkshire is over the moon to have won the Exceptional Volunteer award at the Stronger Communities Awards in recognition of the work of the catering team.

The 7-strong team, which has three paid members of staff and four volunteers, provides a vital service to older people in the community. Not only does it serve up hundreds of meals every week from its Darlington HQ which has a cafe, but its volunteer drivers also deliver meals directly to homes.

The two-course menu options include pork chops, mash and veg and mince and dumplings and sticky toffee pudding and chocolate sponge and custard as well as Sunday lunches with all the trimmings. Meals at Home is offered seven days a week between 12.30pm and 2.00pm for only £7.50 a day.

The service provides a lifeline not only to older people living alone but also directly to more social settings such as day care centres. The volunteers provide a vital social connection to often lonely or isolated people too.

Helen Hunter, CEO of Age UK, said: “I can’t praise our catering and meal delivery teams enough. They go beyond the call of duty to run the kitchen and serve delicious meals throughout the week. The Stronger Communities Award is an amazing recognition of the work the volunteers do - and we are delighted to have won this award.”