Report given by Mary Jones at the AGM on 17th April 2025:
In May last year I recognised a need, for a place where our senior residents could meet and socialise over a quiet cup of tea and some form of snack. Especially at the weekend which can be very quite and isolating for those living on their own
I thought I would test the water during the Parish Council Funded Coronation Tea & Cake session which myself and my merry band of volunteers staged for this momentous occasion.
After quite a lot of conversations it became very clear that a warm drink and a Bacon Bap was very high on the list of suggestions made by our senior residents. The idea was also supported by our volunteers who all put their name down to be Mary’s Team of Helpers.
So the next question was where can we hold the event? – we needed a venue with a kitchen fit for purpose. Luckily The Wesley Hall was available and had two cookers
Then, what would we put on the menu? (apart from the highly popular Bacon Bap)
What equipment would we need?
How will we fund this new enterprise?
We’d need to get the venue and my kitchen rated by the Food Standards Agency
and I wanted to get the same 5 star rating we’d achieved at the library. – Fortunately I already had my level 2 food hygiene certification
There were Procedures and volunteer rotas to create
Then there was a bank account to set up and Public liability insurance
Local food suppliers to select etc. etc
But it was clear from the conversation I’d had with our Seniors they really wanted a Quick fix, so I decided (having missed the Parish Council Grant funding deadline) that if I wanted to start the process I would need to put £500 of my own money in to get the ball rolling.
Then Shirley the clerk suggested that I ask Shenstone Relief fund for the start up costs. We were very Lucky and our application was successful and in addition David Salter gave us a discretionary councillors grant for a warming tray which transformed our Pancakes and Cherry compote service.
It was agreed that we would offer the service on the first Saturday of the month and The Brunch Club opened from 10.0 am until 12.0 pm on July 2nd
We had 31 customers on that day and this month (our 10th) we attracted 51 customers which confirms our original thinking was correct – the oldies love it.
Most of the attendees stay for the full two hours eating and chatting so we have clearly hit the nail on the head with our menu of:
Bacon & Tomato Baps, Pancakes with home made Cherry Compote. Breakfast Pastries baked on the day plus Tea & Coffee & Orange juice, all at affordable prices.
I also have a home made cakes and puddings stall when customers can purchase individual-sized treats to take home. This has also been a great success as the stall is usually empty within 40 mins of our opening time.
All of these things would not have been possible without the support and dedication of the team. After service we all sit down with a Bacon Bap and a drink, and share suggestions and highlights of the day.
The service is exhausting at times but well worth the effort to make the Brunch morning a special treat for everyone.
We would like to formally thank the Parish Council for the grant we received in March which enabled us to improve our offering by purchasing Kitchen equipment as well as additional crockery and sharper knives to help the seniors cut through the bacon baps.
A special Thank you to David Salter and Shirley for their support, and who pop in to the Brunch club when the can, this means a lot to all of us.