A new funeral home in Alton, Hampshire, has raised £1000 for charity during an open event on 10 July.
The funds raised has gone to the Vokes Lunch Club, a club for people over 60, which has been running in the town since the 1960s. The funds are set to be spent on new equipment for the club.
Funeral coordinator Emma Dulieu said: “It was really heartening to hear about the lunch club and how much it means to local people who are going there nearly every day for a two-course lunch in a safe, friendly environment.
“So we are really pleased to be able to help them replace some of their slightly older equipment and help keep such a valuable community asset going.”
Tony Midmore, trustee, Vokes Lunch Club, added: “We would like to share our grateful thanks for the generous donation which is brilliant. A lot of our equipment on the premises is getting a little bit long in the tooth so this is going towards upgrading the facilities.
“We offer a social environment, a social atmosphere and we make sure the food is substantial for the elderly who can’t manage to do it themselves all the time.
“It gets them outside of their own four walls. A lot of these people don’t have much mobility. It is something that we have been doing for an awfully long time.”
The donation from the branch, was made as part of Southern Co-op’s ‘Love Your Neighbourhood’ scheme which aims to address four key social themes – promoting ‘Greener’, ‘Healthier’, ‘Safer’, and ‘More Inclusive’ neighbourhoods.
