Release date: 15 December 2022
Primary school pupils from Bognor Regis have designed Christmas cards which will bring festive cheer to more than 700 elderly and vulnerable Meals on Wheels customers in West Sussex this December.
The cards have been handmade by pupils from Rose Green Junior School, Rose Green Infant School and Edward Bryant School. They will be distributed to customers across the county by the council’s Meals on Wheels provider Health and Independent Living Support (HILS) West Sussex.
Amanda Jupp, Cabinet Member for Adults’ Services, recently accompanied HILS delivery staff to meet some of the customers and hear just how much they value the service.
She said: “Some people may not have many friends or family who are able to visit them during the festive season and our Meals on Wheels service provides not only nutritious food, but also a welcome and friendly knock on the door.
“I am extremely proud that we still have this service which continues to offer so much more than just a meal. I thoroughly enjoyed going out with the HILS delivery teams recently and heard first-hand that people really value the company and friendliness of the teams as much as the hot meals that help to keep them warm during this wintry period. I also saw the joy on people’s faces when they opened their Christmas cards from the school children.
“I would like to pass on my grateful thanks to everyone involved in this wonderful service, it makes such a difference to so many people living alone.”
Rachel Pawley, Field Marketer at HILS West Sussex, said: “We would like to give a big thank you to Edward Bryant, Rose Green Infants and Rose Green Junior school and the hard work their children put into creating so many cards.
“It was a great opportunity for the children to learn more about the service and they were all very keen to help produce some amazing cards that they wanted to make special for our clients. This time of year can be very lonely for some people and if we can bring a smile with these cards then their hard work was worth it.”
HILS West Sussex will also be giving all customers a special 2023 calendar which features stunning images by photographer Brian Cooke. The calendar has been designed to help people with their meal choices by colour-coding the weeks to the menu cycle. It means clients can easily check which meals they should be receiving on which days.
Meals on Wheels customers across the county get to enjoy award-winning food made and supplied by apetito, which is delivered across the county by HILS West Sussex.
HILS drivers and customer support teams also offer important welfare checks while delivering meals, to ensure customers are well, healthy and safe. This helps many people to maintain their independence and continue to live in their own homes.
For more information about the Meals on Wheels service, or to sign up to receive meals in West Sussex, please call 0330 2000 103 or visit www.hils-uk.org for details.
Notes to editors:
Health and Independent Living Support (HILS), is a charitable, not-for-profit social enterprise which delivers meals on wheels and other caring services 365 days a year across West Sussex (since October 2022) and Hertfordshire (since 2007), to help people stay happy, healthy, and independent. HILS West Sussex has two sites, in Ford and Faygate.
