East Lancashire snow: Rallying to help vulnerable (From Lancashire Telegraph)

East Lancashire snow: Rallying to help vulnerable

6:36pm Thursday 7th January 2010 in News

EMERGENCY food supplies are being delivered to a borough's most vulnerable residents while they are trapped indoors.

Not for profit group Community Wheels, which usually provides door to door transport for the elderly and disabled in Blackburn with Darwen, has started making shopping trips for those who are running out of food.

One of their users Patsy Corcoran, 58, said the sight of her empty cupboards was 'extremely worrying', but she had been sharing what little she had with her neighbours anyway.

Patsy, who has Cerebral Palsy and lives in the Brownhill area of Blackburn, is usually very independent and is used to using her mobility vehicle to get shopping in for pensioners who live nearby.

As she also suffers from brittle bone disease, the snow and icy weather has made her completely dependent on others for a change.

The voluntary worker, who works for Blackburn with Darwen's disability information service, Talking Newspapers for the Blind and for Guide Dogs for the Blind has been trapped indoors since New Year's Day.

She said: "It is terrifying when you have almost nothing in the cupboards and no idea of how to get out. Some of my neighbours are also struggling.

"My neighbour came round to say he didn't have any bread, so I shared what I had with him.

"You have to all help each other out. It's the only way. My kitchen was absolutely empty so I was so relieved when Community Wheels said they were going to pitch in. It means I can stock up for a little while longer and it takes away a lot of worry.

"As well as the shopping situation I'm really worried about my bills because I'm in here all day with the heating on full.

"The weather has created a real problem for a lot of people in my position as the disabled don't get any help with fuel bills."

Meanwhile, managers who run the county's meals on wheels service have left their offices to deliver meals themselves.

Lancashire County Council say the firm I Care, which organises hot meals for the elderly and vulnerable across Lancashire, is working at full capacity to get through the snow to people in need.

Plummeting temperatures meant all Dial-a-Ride vehicles throughout the county were unable to get down icy residential streets.