“Sometimes we’re the only people they see” - meet the people behind Machynlleth’s “vital” Meals on Wheels service.

Heather Williams has delivered Meals on Wheels to those who need it every Tuesday and Friday for twelve years.

The 64-year-old started volunteering for CAMAD with her daughter and has carried it on, saying it's “much more than just” delivering healthy meals.

The mother of two from Glantwymyn said: “It’s a good feeling to be able to help someone.

“We cheer up their days, they’re always so pleased to see you.”

Maureen Fairclough has been a Meal’s on Wheels driver for over three years - together the pair deliver up to 40 meals a week, come rain or shine, holidays and Christmas’.

Maureen from Glantwymn fits it in with running a pub and caring for her 3-year-old grandson: “I wanted to do something that enhances quality of life for people.

“I know [the service] is valued - people are very grateful when we come round.

“It’s not just a delivery service - we do little things like changing light bulbs, helping them put their cardigans on, opening bottles - things that seem tiny but would be frustrating not to be able to do.

“It means a lot to them.”

Bronwen, 92, says the services are "important - especially in winter and for those living on their own". Don, 88, enjoys the ladies visiting as he lives alone, having started receiving meals after his partner got sick.
Bronwen, 92, says the services are "important - especially in winter and for those living on their own". Don, 88, enjoys the ladies visiting as he lives alone, having started receiving meals after his partner got sick. (Cambrian News)

The Meals on Wheels dream team arrives with steaming food parcels cooked at Cartref Dyfi care home and are met with smiles - offering something akin to a welfare check as well as giving those who may struggle to cook two balanced meals a week.

CAMAD took over the service after Powys County Council axed theirs.

Community Action Machynlleth and District (CAMAD) was set up in 1998 by residents who were angry over the closure of Machynlleth’s Citizen’s Advice.

The charity has become a mainstay in the town, helping the elderly or vulnerable by offering a hub for advice, a community lift service, to initiatives created to address isolation like their monthly lunch club, weekly drop-ins and women’s group.

Linda Hayward, manager and founding member of CAMAD, said: “It’s not just Meal’s on Wheels - they take their prescriptions for them, feed the birds, post their letters, feed the metre, turn off their electric blankets.

“For those who don’t have family and have trouble cooking, possibly due to mobility issues - they know they’re getting our food.

“For families who are working - having someone delivering a meal and checking on their loved one gives them peace of mind.

“We may be the only people they see that day, with some only leaving the house for appointments.

“If we didn’t have volunteers, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do.”

However volunteers are down - Linda thinks as a consequence of the cost of living crisis, people can no longer afford to give up their time, causing them to become “desperately in need of volunteers - ours are fantastic but there are few of them”.

If you’d like to get involved call 01654 700071, email [email protected] or drop by the office at the Machynlleth Care Centre on Forge Road.