Take one cook, a portion of good food and a dollop of human kindness and you have the recipe for a new project being launched in Staffordshire to combat loneliness – and people in Stone are being urged to get involved.
The Casserole Club is a unique scheme which helps local people share extra portions of their home-cooked meals with other adults, like older people who may experience difficulty in cooking for themselves.
The scheme, being co-ordinated by Staffordshire County Council and FutureGov, was piloted in London. Its launch also follows a recent survey by Age UK which showed that 10% of people aged 65 and over described themselves as often or always lonely – a rise from 7% a year ago.
Cllr Mark Sutton, Cabinet Support Member for Public Health and Community Safety at Staffordshire County Council, said the club aimed to both tackle loneliness but encourage an even greater community spirit across the county.
Mark said: “We already lead very busy modern lives and this is about helping combat loneliness and isolation, but it is also about going back to a time where neighbours not only knew neighbours but always were there to lend a helping hand too.
“The Casserole Club is about creating community networks, connecting people to provide support and is a great example of how to enable informal support in local communities. It gives people the chance to get to know one another over a good meal, which also helps strengthen our local neighbourhoods”
Casserole Club cook Vijaya and diner Tom from Barnet are two people already benefiting from the scheme. Vijaya said: “I think it’s fabulous, I’ve said that from the beginning. When I usually deliver Tom’s meal, I bring enough for two days. It’s nice to know I can give somebody a home-cooked meal. To me that is important and I would urge any budding cooks in Staffordshire to sign up.”
Cooks with little or lots of experience and residents who might benefit from a home-cooked meal are being encouraged to sign up to the scheme. Cooks will be expected to complete a short online food hygiene quiz and will be checked by the Vetting and Barring Service. A team of Matchmakers will then connect diners with cooks living near each other.
You can find out more or register at www.casseroleclub.com or by calling 0300 111 8006.
And do let us know if you sign up and start to make use of the Casserole Club
Email jamie@alittlebitofstone.com
