A NEW club designed to help people in need of an extra meal has been set up in Chard.

The idea of the Casserole Club started in Australia four years ago and has now been adopted by local lady Juliet Duquemin.

Juliet, who is a senior nurse at Chard Community Hospital, said: "Sometimes I meet people who have been admitted to hospital, who tell me about how lonely and isolated they feel.

"They have no one to visit them and sometimes they wonder what the point is of living. It makes me feel very sad.

"When I heard about the Casserole Club, I thought it could go some way to alleviate this loneliness and isolation, and the more I've found out about it, the more I've discovered that the person cooking the meal really benefits from the friendship which is created too."

All the people who will cook and deliver meals will have a police disclosure and barring service checks, to ensure that the safety of the people that are being helped.

A spokesman for the club added: " The Casserole Club Chard is only the fourth such Casserole Club in the UK.

"Did you know that within Chard, some people don't see anyone from one month to the next and some people haven’t left their house for 4 years?

"There are many people in Chard who are lonely, and isolated. Can you help? We’d like to match cooks with recipients of meals. You may want to cook or receive a meal once a week or once a month. You can cook or receive as often as you want.

"The aim is to help establish a greater support network within Chard and really make Chard an amazing place to live."

If you’d like to volunteer and would like more information, please contact Juliet Duquemin by filling in a form at www.casseroleclubchard.co.uk, and juliet@casseroleclubchard.co.uk.