RURAL isolation is a major problem in Tenbury and the Teme Valley.

And a group set up four years ago to help tackle the issue is about to get a reward.

The Kyre and Stoke Bliss Neighbourhood Lunch was recognised earlier this year with a Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.

Now they are to receive the accolade from Patrick Hollcroft, the Lord Lieutenant of Worcestershire.

But it is not the award that really matters to the group but the contribution that it is making to help some of the most isolated and vulnerable people in the area.

The group was set up in 2012 and meets on the second Thursday of every month at the Stoke Bliss and Kyre Village Hall.

From small beginnings it has gone on to become a large group that helps to meet the needs of up to 50 people.

While people are asked to book, no-one is turned away by a team of volunteers that provides a cooked meal throughout the year.

But the group is about much more than just than just making sure that people get a good meal.

Hazel Cumming, one of the volunteer organisers, believes that that service has become a vital lifeline.

She says that isolation is a big problem in rural areas like Tenbury and the Teme Valley and is just as bad if not more serious than in urban areas such as cities and towns.

“People are often very isolated and can live a long way from friends, family and vital facilities,” she said.

“Our group is intended to enable people to come together and have a meal but also to meet up with others perhaps in a similar situation and to form friendships and share experiences with one another.”

She added that people living in rural areas can find a number of problems that are not experienced by people living in cities and towns.

These include often very poor public transport, if there is any at all, and longer journeys to vital appointments such as with doctors and hospitals.

Friends and relatives will also often live further away, making visits more difficult and less frequent as well as much more expensive because of fuel costs associated with travel.

People living in isolated areas are also, in some cases, less likely to have someone to keep an eye on them.

“We get to know the people that come to the lunch and can keep an eye on them,” added Hazel Cumming.

“Often we will be able to see if someone is having a difficult time or is not well and will be able to offer to help or get some support.”

People who attend the lunches, which cost £6, receive a glass of sherry or a soft drink and then a nutritious two-course meal.

“We provide a hot meal and this involves planning ahead so we do ask people to book in advance but this does not always happen,” added Hazel Cumming.

“But we have never turned anyone away.”