Cowplain Age Concern manager surprised with honour for supporting elderly in pandemic

A HARD-WORKING manager who delivered hot dinners to elderly people in the Cowplain area throughout the pandemic has been recognised for her dedication to her community.
By Emily Jessica Turner
Published 18th Oct 2021, 11:42 BST
The presentation took place during their usual Thursday lunch service. Photo by Alex ShuteThe presentation took place during their usual Thursday lunch service. Photo by Alex Shute
The presentation took place during their usual Thursday lunch service. Photo by Alex Shute

Liz Wood, centre manager at Age Concern Cowplain in London Road, had a surprise visit from the mayor of Havant at lunchtime today.

Cllr Rosy Raines had been asked to present an award recognising Liz’s work supporting her clients throughout the pandemic.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Along with the crystal paperweight and certificate presented to Liz in recognition of her work, cllr Raines also gave the manager a flower arrangement that she had created herself.

Ronald Brown organised an award to be presented by the mayor of Havant to Liz Wood, manager of Age Concern Cowplain for her service during lockdown. From left: Liz Wood, cllr Rosy Raines, Frances Kilby, vice chairman at Age Concern, and Ronald Brown. Photo by Alex ShuteRonald Brown organised an award to be presented by the mayor of Havant to Liz Wood, manager of Age Concern Cowplain for her service during lockdown. From left: Liz Wood, cllr Rosy Raines, Frances Kilby, vice chairman at Age Concern, and Ronald Brown. Photo by Alex Shute
Ronald Brown organised an award to be presented by the mayor of Havant to Liz Wood, manager of Age Concern Cowplain for her service during lockdown. From left: Liz Wood, cllr Rosy Raines, Frances Kilby, vice chairman at Age Concern, and Ronald Brown. Photo by Alex Shute
Read More
Accounting company for not-for-profit organisations has a passion for helping pe...

The mayor said that Liz does ‘amazing’ work and that she ‘thoroughly deserves’ the award.

She added: ‘It's a complete honour, a very humbling experience.

‘I understand all the work that they do here - volunteering is such a good thing to do.’

The mayor of Havant speaking to Ronald and Liz. Photo by Alex ShuteThe mayor of Havant speaking to Ronald and Liz. Photo by Alex Shute
The mayor of Havant speaking to Ronald and Liz. Photo by Alex Shute
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

As she was presented with her gifts, Liz said: ‘I couldn't do the job without our volunteers.

‘During lockdown, if it wasn't for them - the cooks in the kitchen cooking the food so that we could deliver lovely hot delicious meals - we just couldn't have done that.

‘I'd like to say a special thank you to Ron for getting the mayor to come and see me. That is really lovely.’

SEE ALSO: Council set to approve Brexit customs centre plans for Portsmouth port

The visit had been organised by Ronald Brown, who regularly has lunch at Age Concern Cowplain.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Service user Ron, who was a glassblower from the age of 14 and is now retired, said: ‘I’ve been here for four and a half years and through the lockdown we wondered what was going to happen.

‘Liz called up and asked if she could deliver hot dinners to us.

‘She did it for 29 people for three days a week for £5. We get beautiful dinners here.

‘I just thought, what could I do to say thank you.

‘She does such a good job, she works really hard.’

Liz, who leads a team of around 60 volunteers, says that she is ‘surprised but humbled’ to receive the award.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

She added: ‘I've never really had an award for anything so it's just lovely to think that one of the service users put me forward.

‘It was really lovely and made me feel very appreciated.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

We’ve reduced the cost of digital subscriptions to our website by 50 per cent for a limited time.

You can now subscribe here for unlimited access to our online coverage, including Pompey, for less than 13p a day.

Related topics:HavantLondon RoadCouncil