VE Day Afternoon Tea Delivered – Fingers & Forks
Fingers & Forks are helping make peoples’ lives easier in these extraordinary times.
Times like this brings out the very best in many people and this gives an insight into what started as a very commercial decision to keep a business afloat, but has and is rapidly, with the help of the Young Farmers Clubs (YFC), developing into a more community caring operation.
Shirley Friend owner of Fingers & Forks told Welsh Country explained,
“Many of our customers requiring our service are in the upper age bracket, with no social media or mobile for that matter and no computer, so we are entirely reliant on word of mouth and ‘phone. We have been lucky though a long standing client is in this same position and is making it her mission to get the word out, successfully I might add, to every friend / acquaintance / neighbour / delivery person / member of her church she can think of. We have now changed delivery days to Tuesday / Friday / Sunday, with hot deliveries as well on Sundays
“Have received extra help from the teams of volunteers plus YFC members that check the welfare of people self-isolating in the area. It’s quite incredible how they have managed to mobilise quicker than an army under siege with first class lines of communication to each area! The young farmers are generally the rural areas with Covid groups in the towns. But it has been quite an eye opener how many of our elderly have to cope with isolation problems on a daily basis under normal circumstances , many live alone with mobility issues and although you think about the loneliness, but never give a thought as to how they change a light bulb, get to the local surgery, pick up heavy items. Some have carers coming in, but a lot struggle on their own. I don’t suppose it can happen but it would rather nice if a phone in service was available post Covid crisis to assist someone having problems. It’s a lovely and rewarding experience working with them. Some are staying positive, very funny and keeping themselves as busy as possible, but there are some very frightened people out there. One example is when we collected a prescription for a couple on Monday who have no relatives in the area. Neither of them are very well, but terrified they wouldn’t be able to get their medication. Their fears were not reduced by the announcement on Welsh News last week that elderly people with underlying health conditions will not have access to a ventilator. I’m not sure if I have that completely accurate, but that was the gist of what my lady said. Of course we all appreciate that some very difficult choices may have to be made, but I don’t think it is necessary to make them public.
On a brighter note, VE Day celebrations obviously are unable to take place as planned, but rather than cancel altogether they intending to have them in individual homes, as can be seen in the poster shown here. I have done some unusual things in the past in some unique settings, but I think this one definitely takes the biscuit.”
