Problem
The Kendal Integrated Care Community (KICC) team received an Accident and Emergency attendance notification way back in December 2017. The form detailed an older man from the town who on the 25th December rang 999 and was transported to A&E as he was hungry and lonely. He was provided with food and discharged home into our care, prompting the Kendal lunch bunch journey began.
Aim
As a team committed to population based health, this resonated greatly and plans were quickly made to work alongside a local partner ‘Waste into Wellbeing’ and their ‘Peoples café ‘to begin some meal deliveries for older, frailer and vulnerable people in our town. At this point we only had very short term, week by week goals.
Plan
We began collecting some ready prepared hot meals from the ‘Peoples café’ on a Saturday and using some of own time to deliver them. They were so gratefully received, and the feedback was amazing. The following Christmas 2018, we turned up en masse and delivered meals, gifts and warm wishes to a pre-prepared list of people.
• What were the key steps / actions you took and changes you made?
From this we began a more regular ‘meal drop’ service with evidence of weekly growth in numbers and a community following and interest.
As a team, we regularly analysed our progress and the impacts that this was having on health and wellbeing. A light bulb moment then occurred….why were we as a team providing 25+ individual house visits when we could bring everyone together in one place?!!!
The whole project was revisited, the local Parish church was asked for kitchen and room hire and Lunch Bunch as we know it was born in September 2019.
That same year we were asked to meet a local man who was struggling with grief following the death of his wife. He was found at the local cemetery twice each day sat at her graveside; his loss was palpable. He was invited to Lunch bunch where he soon became the life and soul of the group, his interest in gardening resumed and he grew the most wonderful plants to share. He also set up a jigsaw dealing business and encouraged people to telephone him for chats.
Sadly the Covid 19 pandemic began, we decided to we revert back to the delivery model, to maintain some humour we dressed up for VE, Easter and Christmas day and delivered afternoon tea, soups, cakes and hot meals.
Once restrictions were lifted, we resumed our face-to-face meetings on a very gradual basis, with smaller groups of people as conditions allowed.
We now host three rotating groups of approximately 15 people who meet for lunch every three weeks. This has become the highlight of some peoples very empty social calendar and brings palpable, joy, laughter and love.
Click on the image below to read and download the full project report
