Wynnstay Hotel provide Christmas dinners to residents

Several months ago, General Manager Seb Siddi of the Wynnstay Hotel in Oswestry contacted Mike Lade, co-founder of the Oswestry Angel’s with a simple question. “How can the Wynnstay Hotel help to feed the community in these difficult times?”

At the time, food delivery to residents were getting resolved so it was decided to focus on Christmas. The logical thing for Mike was to team the Wynnstay Hotel who will make the dinners with the towns Food Bank who know where the help is needed most.

This week Seb from the hotel, Mike form Oswestry Angels and Liz Jermy, Manager from the Food Bank tied up the details ready for 24^th December.

Fifty Christmas meals will be prepared by the hotel and boxed in special “oven proof” boxes so that they can be put into the oven according to the supplied instruction on Christmas Day. For singles, couples and families. All delivered by Food Bank volunteers on the 24^th December.

General Manager Seb Sidi said, “Its been great to help out the local community and we hope this will be the start of an ongoing partnership with the Food Bank. But we must thank our suppliers.  Meat Masters Alan Clark for supplying several turkeys and E C Edwards for supplying vegetables. It has been a real business and community effort to help the community.”

Liz Jermy from the Food Bank said, “Working with the Wynnstay Hotel and Oswestry Angels has been a very fruitful endeavour for the community. The foodbank will be giving out Christmassy food and gift hampers to any households who have been referred via education, medical, social and crisis support agencies. Last year the foodbank assisted over 600 people in Christmas week and we have an expectation that the numbers will be at least this high again.”

The foodbank is also giving away, with grateful thanks, 50 real Christmas trees supplied free with the help of our volunteers and Borderlands Rotary Club.

The foodbank extends a huge and grateful thanks to all the businesses, charities and individuals who have given so generously throughout the year to enable us to continue to assist as many households as possible who need help. The foodbank has been in Oswestry since March 2011 and this year has seen a 46% increase in foodbank use since March compared to last year, with many using this service for the first time. It is only with the generosity of our donors and the passion of the volunteers that we remain a buoyant charity, able to keep up with rising demand and facilitate the giving away of 50+ food parcels every week of the year.

The foodbank will close at 12.30 Christmas Eve and re open on the 4^th January at 11am. There will be a phone line available for food emergencies during the time of closure : 01691 671940 which will be listened to each day except Sundays

The Oswestry Angels also have a few other initiatives with the Food Bank such as toy collecting through Shelley Glover and Stephanie Draper as well as items suitable for the the elderly presently in care home through Shelly McGlinchy

Information can be found on www.oswestryangels.co.uk.

Pictured: Executive Chef Gino Placentino, Food Bank Manager Liz Jermy  and General Manager Seb Siddi at the Wynnstay Hotel with the food boxes. Photo by Mike Lade