A MEALS-on-wheels service is looking to Foresters to back it to win a huge cash prize to help more older people retain their independence.

Age Concern Forest of Dean – which provides upwards of 700 meals a week and has ‘befrienders’ who help combat loneliness across the district – is among the five runners in the south-west for a massive Lottery cash injection.

If it can get enough votes in the People’s Project – being run by the Big Lottery in conjuction with ITV – the service stands to gain a staggering £40,000.

Voting has opened and supporters have until Monday, April 3 to back the Forest bid which is entitled Catering with Compassion.

The charity has produced 5,000 postcards which are available from community venues across the Forest and can be returned post-free to vote. Votes can also be registered online.

Chair, Dr Daphne Pearson, said: “We are a local charity staffed by local people for local people.

“We’ve got a very exciting possibility but it is only a possibility because it needs public support and that means everybody in the Forest.

“Our services are very important community services – if we get sufficient votes for one of the three awards we stand to win £40,000 which is a huge amount to the charity.

“Our grants come in small amounts so £40,000 in one amount would mean we could expand our services and put us on a secure financial footing.

“We support 13 jobs and we’ve got getting on for 100 wonderful volunteers – drivers for the meals and befrienders.

“What we are doing with our meals and our befrienders is to keep elderly people at homes, living independently. That is terribly important.

“If we can keep people living at home we’re saving the state a lot of money and it’s much nicer for those people.”

An ITV crew filmed cooks at Age Concern’s state-of-the-art kitchens in Cinderford, one of the volunteer drivers, two customers in Drybrook and the Blakeney lunch club, which also has its meals supplied by the charity.

The film was show on the ITV West news programme on Monday evening which is now available on the ITV Hub.

The kitchens, which opened in 2012, produce hot and nutritious three-course meals which are delivered freshly five days a week with chilled meals for the weekend.

To find out more about the People’s Project visit the website www.the

peoplesprojects.org.uk