PENSIONERS in isolation during the Coronavirus lockdown have been able to tuck into a weekly nutritional meal generously donated by a local community group.
Tenants at Bield’s retirement housing development, Greenacre Court in Bannockburn, have been served soup and snacks every Tuesday for the last eight weeks by the Ladies of the Rock.
A group of volunteers started a Facebook page during week two of lockdown and began by asking Bannockburn locals if they would be interested in helping – the response was positive, with more than 11 volunteers willing to help.
The group were initially undertaking prescription and grocery runs and it grew into making soup from donations received to ensure the elderly and vulnerable were receiving nutritional meals, with 380 individuals now benefitting from the service.
Fran Nicol added: “We knew that there would be various members of the community needing help with shopping, picking up prescriptions and just general day to day things, as the lockdown restrictions encouraged the elderly to stay at home.
“Bield’s Greenacre Court is one of our regular deliveries and as a group we are really delighted to be able to make this stressful time a little bit easier for some of our older community members.
“We deliver the soup and snack to 26 Bield tenants and it is lovely to hear they now see Tuesday as a special day as it is delivery day – it gives them something to look forward too.
“We are really happy to hear the joy the freshly home cooked soup is bringing to the tenants and can’t wait until we can meet them in person as we look to continue our work with the development post lockdown.”
The group work in conjunction with members of the community and local businesses who have donated all ingredients and equipment.
Lynne Douglas, Chief Executive of Bield, said: “We are really grateful for the donations from the Ladies of the Rock and the wider community. It’s little acts of kindness like this that are really bringing communities across Scotland together during a troubling time.
“Our tenants have expressed their appreciation for the food parcels and look forward to them arriving at the development every week.”
To find out more about Bield and its developments, visit www.bield.co.uk  or follow on Facebook @bieldhousingandcare and Twitter @BieldScotland
A designated e-mail address Hello@bield.co.uk and phone number 0131 273 4000 has been set up to deal with queries and questions during the Coronavirus crisis.
