A community cafe which provides a meals service for hundreds of people across Burton and South Derbyshire is struggling for custom since the death of its founder Gill Farrington.

Swadlincote’s Bus Park Cafe is hoping to encourage more elderly and ill people who cannot cook for themselves to sign up for the meals service, which provides hot and cold meals five days a week, as well as food for the weekend, which are ferried out by drivers to people, all for a small fee.

Gail Cotton, secretary of the cafe trust, said a chairman or trustee is also needed to replace Woodville district councillor Gill Farrington, who died in February, last year.

South Derbyshire councillor Farrington helped set up the cafe, in the Richardson’s Furnishers car park, off West Street, Swadlincote, five year ago.

The Bus Park Cafe was founded by Gill Farrington (pictured) and now its trustees are struggling

Mrs Cotton said: "For the last year a small team of retired volunteers, now six of us who are also trustees of the charity, have been managing the Bus Park Cafe and the meals services initiative in Swadlincote

"We desperately need new help, more advice and a new perspective on the way to move the charity forward. We need at least another pair of hands to continue the work we do.

"Just after Christmas we lost about 15 customers who signed up to receive the food, from them either getting better and able to shop for themselves, or being taken into hospital or passing away.

"We advertise by word of mouth and send out flyers but we struggle to get it out there that we do this.

"Sainsbury’s and Foundation Derbyshire fund our drivers but they haven’t got enough to do because we have lost come customers. The drivers do a short run and then are back in the office by 2pm, for example, but are paid until 2.30pm.

"We have been operating for more than 14 years, and have held computer classes for the over 50s, chair-based exercises, trips and also have a community choir. The knitting club, the sewing group and the monthly social events continue to be as popular as ever and they raise much needed funds.

"We now feel that we want to work on the meals service. We make around 300 meals a week and send hot food out with our drivers, and that is besides running the community café five days week."

The Bus Park Cafe currently has:

  • a paid part-time meals on wheels supervisor
  • two paid full-time cooks in the cafe’s kitchen
  • two paid part-time kitchen assistants to assist with the meals on wheels.
  • two paid meals on wheels drivers (funded by Foundation Derbyshire and Sainsbury’s)
  • a group of eight volunteers
  • six individuals who manage the business.

If anyone would like to sign up to receive meals on wheels or would like to assist in the cafe, they can call 01283 480603.