A popular lunch club in Yelverton has increased the number of dates it is running throughout the winter.

The club, run by Yelvercare (a branch of charity Yelverton Community Projects), will now take place weekly on a Wednesday instead of monthly, at the church hall of St Paul’s in Yelverton, ensuring the provision of both a warm space and a warm lunch for those who need it. 

Ric Cheadle, chair of Yelverton Community Projects, said: ‘The idea in recent weeks has always been to increase the frequency with which we run the popular lunch club at the church hall, which will now be every Wednesday, especially as it’s winter and we’re experiencing cold temperatures once again.

‘As with other charities and bodies who can help others, we’re particularly focused on being able to provide a warm space for those who can benefit as the cost of living crisis continues and energy bills continue to rise.

‘Running the sessions more regularly however is always dependent on volunteers who can help and the demands placed upon us. Right now, our plan is to run weekly throughout Janaury and February, then we’ll see how things go when it starts to get a little warmer in March time, although the sessions will always run into the future.

‘The lunch club has been running for some time now and can cater for up to 40 people per session. We always see a turnout of at least 35 people everytime. Whilst the lunches are primarily directed towards senior citizens, they’re open for anyone in the area.’

The lunch club has also recently provided warm clothing, such as fleece throws, as gifts for those feeling the cold and who are worried about energy costs following a donation from the Maristow Charity.

Ric said: ‘Ann Davis, who is instrumental in running the lunch club, was able to obtain this donation for the good of the lunch club with the generous help of the charity. Every year, for many years, they have always given gifts of some kind around Christmas time to Yelverton Community Projects. For example, we often used to receive hampers, however covid made passing these on and delivering them to people difficult, particularly during lockdowns and when dealing with restrictions, so we came up with the idea for a donation instead so that we had an alternate way of helping those in need. This donation is also helping us to run the club more often now, so we’re very grateful to the charity for their help and continued support.’ 

In addition to the running of the lunch club, the Yelvercare scheme provides help to people from Yelverton and the surrounding villages, such as Buckland Monachorum, by arranging transport for visits to hospitals, surgeries, dentists, hairdressers and shops, arranging for the collection and delivery of prescriptions, shopping for those who are shielding and scheduling regular telephone chats or visits for people living alone.

Yelvercare is a voluntary care scheme and one of three main services run by Yelverton Community Projects, who are also responsible for the playpark at the Leg O’Mutton (which has recently been granted planning approval for an upgrade by Dartmoor National Park) and also the running the Yelverton cinema once a month.

If you would like to know more about Yelvercare or if you would like to join the team of volunteers, who run the lunch club (the cinema and the playpark), you can speak with a volunteer duty officer on 07775 695864 from Monday to Friday between 10am and 1pm.