COMMUNITY-spirited pub landlord Dermot McGuinness has teamed up with the fire service in a scheme designed to bring the community of Purfleet together.
With no public meeting facilities and very few community groups in the local vicinity, the elderly and vulnerable can feel alone and isolated despite the best efforts of agencies to support them. So Dermot has set up The Fleet Diners Club and will open the doors of his pub – https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Fleet-Bar-Restaurant-Purfleet – on Monday and Tuesday lunchtimes, from midday beginning mid-October, to anyone looking for company and a nutritious meal.
At £4.50 a head, the equivalent of the meals on wheels service, Fleet Diners Club members will be able to stay on after lunch to enjoy a film, play pub games or generally have a chat.
“One the scheme gets off the ground, we may be able to bring in speakers to talk to people about fire safety, health, home security and the like for anyone that’s interested,” said Martin Trevillion, who is on secondment from the fire service to Thurrock Council’s Adult Social Services team.
“As local area co-ordinator for Purfleet, I am coming into contact with a diverse cross section of the community from a teenager with learning difficulties to a 93-year-old housebound woman and one thing they all clearly have in common is the feeling of isolation and loneliness. Very often people don’t have human contact from one day to the next and it has a serious impact on their well being, particularly in an area like Purfleet and the fringes of West Thurrock where there is no community hub to bring them together.
“The Diners Club is on the London Road, so a central place for people to get to and it won’t cost them any more than the Meals on Wheels service yet they will have the opportunity to make friends and create a supportive social group close to where they live. Instead of eating alone, they’ll have some company and the chance to make new friends.
“The pub chef has come up with a fantastic menu, so we’re hoping local people will come along and support the initiative – if not for themselves, recommending friends or neighbours they know might benefit. “
If you’d like to find out more, contact Dermot on 01708 890999.
