Vital deliveries and chat from Food Train
Charities and volunteer groups have proven to be a lifeline for the most vulnerable over the last 12 months.
Older people in the Stirling area have been hailing the impact of one charity which has ensured they received critical shopping supplies since the lockdown last March.
Food Train’s team working across Stirling and Clackmannanshire has met unprecedented demand to support over-65s throughout the coronavirus crisis.
And, a year on from the first lockdown which triggered the huge need for help as the vulnerable began shielding, the charity and its customers have thanked volunteers for all they have done.
Retired joiner Ian Scobie, 83, of Dunblane, has been a Food Train member since 2014, receiving weekly shopping deliveries.
It’s a service that he has found of even greater support over the past year, not only ensuring he has essential supplies but giving him a chance to speak to others as he places his order and as socially-distanced deliveries are made.
Mr Scobie, who has diabetes, eyesight and mobility health issues, said:“I’m virtually housebound anyway, so the virus has meant I’ve not been able to go out at all. That’s made Food Train so important.
“I get on great with everyone there. They’ve been great with me. I can’t fault them. I enjoy getting a blether with them. It breaks the monotony of the day for me. I let them know what I want and they get it for me.
“The boys who bring my messages are great. I get good patter with them.
“If it wasn’t for Food Train, I would have to find someone to get my messages for me.”
Former pharmaceutical and chemical engineering executive Peter Record, 84, and his wife Elizabeth, 89, of Stirling, began using Food Train in April last year.
Although Mr Record needs to use a mobility scooter when out, the couple had done their own shopping prior to the pandemic.
He said:“Trying to shop with the scooter isn’t very easy. People were saying to us that we should use Food Train for our heavy things. As soon as coronavirus came along, that became a no-brainer.
“It really is a good service. It means we don’t have to worry about getting out to shop.
“We have been impressed with the easy, friendly way that Food Train works. I send them an email of what we would like and they get it for us.”
At the peak of the pandemic, Food Train’s volunteers in Stirling and Clackmannanshire were delivering about double their regular number of weekly deliveries - hitting a high of 190.
And they did that while having to recruit new supporters not only to meet the new demand but its existing one as a number of its established volunteers had to shield themselves.
Stuart Miller, Food Train’s regional manager for Stirling and Clackmannanshire, said:“I would like to say a sincere thank-you to everyone who has supported us in the past year. It has made a real difference to the lives of older people in our region.
“I am so proud of the effort everybody has put in. People put everything into the service when we really needed them - at a time when the virus was causing so much fear and upset, particularly for older people. They needed support and we were able to provide it in a safe and effective way.”
To find out about how Food Train could help you or someone you know, email shopping@thefoodtrain.co.uk or call 0800 3047924. To register as a volunteer, go to www.thefoodtrain.co. uk.
They’ve been great with me. If it wasn’t for Food Train, I would have to find someone to get my messages for me