Publican delivers meals to elderly amid coronavirus

Drouth pubco managing director Dianne Irving is launching the service from two of her pubs in Carlisle: the Howard Arms and the Crown, to help the elderly and vulnerable who are staying at home due to Covid-19.

Dianne and her daughter, Danielle, came up with the idea after they were touched by stories they heard by their regulars of those who are social distancing.

Take the food to them​

Irving said: “We’ve all got family, elderly relatives, friends and others in at-risk groups who we know are all very worried about the coronavirus outbreak.

“We know how many of those people really look forward to their regular trip to our pubs as a chance to socialise and to enjoy some good home-made food.

“[But] with all the news and advice, which is all around us every day, some of them are understandably deciding to stay at home.

“So we thought why don’t we offer a service where we produce a meal at cost – we don’t want to make any profit from this – and Danielle and I will take it round to them.

“If there are issues about us not seeing the people for medical reasons then we can leave it in a safe place for them, such as in the porch, or with a neighbour who is looking out for them.”

Element of routine​

Irving explained all her businesses have a five-star hygiene rating and confirmed all hygiene and safety precautions will be in place during deliveries to confirm they are complying with Government advice, as well as all the health and safety and food hygiene regulations.

She continued: “We know that isolation for elderly people or vulnerable groups can cause its own problems, and we hope this way we are helping keep that element of routine that we know our regulars really value.

“We are lucky that places like Carlisle, and the whole of Cumbria, still have close-knit communities where people look out for one another, and we wanted to do our bit to help those less fortunate than ourselves.”