Covid-19: Falkirk cafe owner delivers over 100 meals to vulnerable and elderly

A cafe owner who started a home delivery service for the vulnerable during lockdown has since handed out over 100 meals to those in need.
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Nicky Don, of Pots in Falkirk’s Cow Wynd, initially cooked and delivered free dinners to eight regular customers who she knew lived alone prior to the Covid-19 bringing daily life to a halt.

With her business closed indefinitely, Nicky then decided to put her cookery skills to even greater use and began taking orders via Facebook from those who knew of elderly and vulnerable residents in Falkirk district.

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To date, she has spent more than £600 of her own money buying ingredients to create a range of dishes, from pasta to soup and stovies.

Pots cafe owner Nicky Don has been making and delivering meals for vulnerable and elderly people across Falkirk district during lockdown. Picture: Michael Gillen.Pots cafe owner Nicky Don has been making and delivering meals for vulnerable and elderly people across Falkirk district during lockdown. Picture: Michael Gillen.
Pots cafe owner Nicky Don has been making and delivering meals for vulnerable and elderly people across Falkirk district during lockdown. Picture: Michael Gillen.

The Larbert woman, who has owned Pots since 2017, has equipped herself with disposable gloves and sanitiser to ensure she follows social distancing guielines while dropping off orders.

She said: “Before lockdown a lot of my customers, some of whom are elderly, weren’t coming out the same.

“I’ve got eight customers who live alone and have no family. I was getting a bit concerned about them so I thought, ‘I’m going to make some meals’.

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“Then I thought, ‘There are more than just my customers, there are other people’. I posted on the shop’s Facebook page to see if anybody knew of anybody needing anything and it exploded!

“I’ve just got a soft touch. I don’t like old people being lonely.”

Learning of the challenges some of her customers are facing left Nicky even more determined to carry on catering for as many as possible.

One nurse who contacted the Pots Facebook page told how she was unable to visit her terminally ill father or wheelchair-bound mother.

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Nicky added: “The woman works at the hospital and can’t get to her parents so I’m continuing to deliver to them.

“At first it was a bit stressful when I was getting inundated with messages but it works alright now. The majority aren’t even customers.

“If I get a quiet day I pop up another post. I’ve discovered bits of Falkirk I never knew!

“A couple of regular customers have handed in donations like pasta and the Polish Pantry Deli and Bakery along the road have been coming along with Polish cake for the last two weeks.

“Thank you to all the people who have donated and come in with stuff because it’s been a massive help.”