The Rushden Echo, 12th February 1965, transcribed by Jim Hollis

Rushden WVS is thriving on voluntary service

l-r: Mrs R W Norman, Miss J Claridge, Mrs A Perkins (centre organiser), Mrs G Hewitt, Mrs V Sawford and Mrs J Franklin

Voluntary work in the Welfare State generally tends to be rather overlooked, but at Rushden the Women’s Voluntary Service, which provides “Meals on Wheels” for elderly people and runs a clothing store for people in need as part of its service, is thriving.

There is a waiting list of old age pensioners in the town, who would like to receive meals from the WVS delivery service which provides meals on four days a week – Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

The “Meals on Wheels” service is perhaps the most well-known service which the WVS provides in the town – but there are many more services which the voluntary workers provide that are not so familiar with local people.

Own Store

The organisation has its own clothing store at the Hall, Rushden, where clothing for children of all ages, and for adults, is kept to meet the demands of local people, who have fallen on hard times, or for distribution in the case of emergencies such as earthquakes, floods, and railway accidents.

The clothing is available to anyone who is able to supply the organisers at the office in Rectory Road with a letter from an authorised person – doctor or welfare worker – entitling them to it.

Oddments

The WVS is often given oddments of wool, which are knitted up into garments, mostly for children, by members. At the moment there is a shortage of children’s clothing, including underwear, and the WVS is always pleased to receive any gifts of clothing for children.

Helpers are kept busy making up parcels – they have “adopted” a Latvian woman who is now over seventy years old and lives in a German displaced persons’ camp, and regularly send her parcels of food and clothing.

The WVS is always ready to receive copies of magazines from townspeople, which the members parcel and send to regiments stationed abroad.

Books

Books are supplied to the Rushden Darby and Joan Library, and the Risdene Old People’s Home is also kept well stocked with books.

In addition to providing about 23,000 meals in the seven years that the “Meals on Wheels” service has been in operation in the town, the WVS also undertakes visiting Old People and the housebound.

A van, which was provided by money raised through an appeal to the public, and bears an inscription to that effect, has helped the WVS tremendously, both in delivering meals, and in transporting clothing to and from the clothing centre at the Hall.

Previously the meals were transported to the homes of recipients in members’ own cars.

The van has travelled about 7,000 miles since it was bought about three years ago.

Kept Busy

At the moment workers are being kept busy dealing with correspondence about the old people’s holiday scheme. The holiday this year is at Clacton from May 24 to 28. About 150 of the town’s pensioners are to take advantage of the scheme. Six members of the WVS are to go along with the party as escorts.

The work of the WVS will be widened shortly, as the Rushden group has volunteered to help to man the canteen at the new outpatients section of Kettering General Hospital.