A MOSSLEY pub is proving a bit of community spirit can go a long way as it helps feed pensioners in the area.
Just as importantly, The Britannia Inn, on Manchester Road, is somewhere the older generation can socialise, combating the problem of isolation.
After learning of a similar scheme in America, regular Billy Welsby put it to landlady Sylvia Morris that something needed to be done, especially during the winter.
Now its Tuesday session, which sees the elderly given a free meal and somewhere to meet others, is proving a hit.
It has also become like a foodbank, with donations being given to help fight the rising cost of living that leaves the question, ‘Heat or eat?’
“I saw on Facebook that in America, they hang meals up in cafes for people who are homeless, to give back,” Billy, who is prepared to pick people up and take them home in bad weather and deliver meals to those who cannot make it, said.
“So we sat one day and talked about it. We said, ‘Why can’t we do something in here?’ That’s where it all stemmed from.
“It’s somewhere for people to come. It’s not necessarily about the food. It’s about having somewhere to meet people and socialise.
“One bloke came in and just played darts as he did so about 40 years ago. I was with him for about an hour-and-a-half.
“Regulars message me now saying, ‘What can I offer? What can I give?’ It was going to be for winter but if it’s proved it’s needed, we’ll keep it running.”
Every week, The Britannia Inn serves food to a growing number of attendees, with recipes including chicken broth, pea and ham soup and cottage pie.
Sometimes, people are waiting outside for the sessions, which last from 2pm until 4pm, to start.
For Sylvia, it is all part of an ethos that a pub is about more than just money and told of some other help that has come through it.
She told The Correspondent: “We get quite a lot of retired people in and I know a lot have been struggling financially.
“We hadn’t seen one or two people for a while and we asked, ‘Have you been poorly?’ They replied, ‘Money’s a bit tight.’
“When Billy was talking about it, I said, ‘I’ve been thinking about doing something like that.’
“One old guy had no washer, no cooker and no food. We took a food parcel, someone said, ‘I’ve got a washer,’ and someone else said, ‘I’ll put it in for you.’ Now we’re trying to find him a cooker.
“Things like that snowball. I know it’s a business but to me, it’s not all about taking people’s money, it’s about giving something back.
“Some say, ‘We feel a bit awkward coming in. We feel like we’re taking it off someone else.’ I said, ‘You’re both pensioners, that’s what it’s for.’
“And they meet other people. It’s also about people being on their own not being on their own anymore, they know they can come in on a Tuesday.”
The Britannia’s initiative is hugely appreciated by those who sue it, like 83-year-old Arthur Ogden, who travels from Stalybridge.
He said: “Billy’s daughter told me about this happening and I’ve not been away since.
“It’s the company I really love about this place. Everybody came to me, ‘What are you having? What are you having?’
“It was like walking into a room full of friends.”
He also joked: “It’s the women that get me down – they’re over-powering!”
Former landlady Stacey Howard-Cofield, who still works at The Britannia Inn, is also involved.
She said: “Billy came up with ‘I really think we should do something.’ Sylvia offered the venue. I do the cooking.
“Off the back of this, we’ve had people come in seeing this and saying, ‘My next door neighbour’s housebound and can’t get out.’ Billy said, ‘I can drop food off.’ So, we’ve been doing that for those in need.’
“There are things happening on the doorstep we know nothing about.”