A NEW 'meals on wheels' will be serving up food and friendship to vulnerable residents in their own homes this festive season.

Belville Community Gardens is rolling out free lunch drops across Inverclyde.

Manager Laura Reilly launched the new door-to-door project to help reach out to people who are lonely and isolated.

Her team will deliver their home grown, eco friendly meals to residents in need.

Laura said: "This is a new idea that we thought we would start up.

"We are going to be trying it out over the next few weeks to see what works.

"There are people in their own homes who maybe for health reasons or whatever are unable to come out.

"The health and social care partnership and Your Voice will refer people to us who would benefit from a friendly face at the door with food and we can see how they are.

"There are people out there who don't have visitors from one day to the next."

It is one of the many initiatives run by Belville and funded by Small Ideas, Big Impact Fund, part of Eat Well Age Well.

Belville sessional worker Sue Harris, who started volunteering and is now part of the team, will be helping Laura deliver the meals.

She said: "I really can't wait to get out there and start talking to people.

"I think it is such a brilliant ideaand there are so many people out there who could use this."

Local resident Joseph Patterson, of Kilblain Court, who is registered blind, attends weekly lunchtime drop ins at the gardens and hopes the new project will help encourage people to join him.

He said: "I like to come along to Belville on a Friday. It is a wee change and you get a chance for a blether."

The Belville Community Garden is a location for outdoor and indoor activities for toddlers, schoolchildren, people with health problems and others with learning disabilities.

They work with local secondary schools to offer places to pupils looking for vocational education, do outreach work in schools and have recently launched a community fridge project.

They are funded by the lottery and other organisations to cut down on carbon footprints, tackle food waste, combat poverty and fight social isolation.

To find out more about the new 'meals on wheels' service contact Belville on 726034 or Your Voice on 723628.