Our ‘Hairy’ Experience !

What does Community Support Services do?

130 staff in the division supported by 547 volunteers.

Discretionary Services Include: • Information Services.• Centres for the Community (7 Centres).• Meals Services – Daily Centre Meals and Meals on Wheels.• Elmbridge Relief Carers Scheme - nine services which support

people with confusion, dementia and Alzheimer's Disease.• Community Alarm and Telecare.• Community Transport, Dial a Ride, Hire a Bus and Taxi Voucher

Scheme.• Voluntary Sector, support and development of such initiatives as

Gardening Service and Message in a Bottle.

Why Us?• Provided a Meals on Wheels service for 40 years in

the Borough of Elmbridge• We operate a Meals on Wheels hot delivery service,

7 days a week 365 days a year• We prepare and package our meals from 6 of our

Centres for the Community• We deliver using 240 volunteers a week

In the last 10 years…. Our kitchens have prepared

1,228,204 meals

Delivered 597,775 2 course Meals on Wheels

Served 630,429 3 course meals in Centres

On a per meal budget of £1.25

Were Elmbridge’s and Optomen’s objectives for the programme the

same?

They definitely started that way !

So where did ………………………….

• 100% FRESH• A beleaguered Council• The biggest Meals on Wheels takes to the road• Saatchi X• A Royal Visit

…………………………………… come from

What’s happened since the series was aired ?

• Each programme attracted between 2 and 2.2 million viewers

• Traffic to the ‘Do-It’ website rose by 5,500 hits

• The BBC website crashed immediately after the first two programmes were aired

• 40 enquiries from potential volunteers

• 132 volunteers recruited since April 2011

• Requests and referrals for the meals on wheels service increased by 83%

• Contact with – Grimsby and Nottingham Councils– Private providers across the country– A representative from Japan– The Meals on Wheels Association of America

The world of Social Networking

• Roll out the ‘FRESH’ concept to all centres• Expansion – Supper and Breakfast Service• Continue to support the ‘Slaithwaite girls’• Continue to promote the need for volunteers

and recognise their special contribution

The future of Meals on Wheels in Elmbridge is …..

Did we do what we set out to do?

The Challenges for 2012

• £££

• 2012 Olympics

Will they be back?

Watch this space