A Rutherglen woman who hadn’t been over the threshold of her own front door in almost five years says she “never gave up hope” as she joined others in the community for dinner on Christmas Day.
Mandy Brown, 54, has mobility issues and uses a wheelchair, however, she doesn’t have an access ramp and can’t normally get out of her house in Westmuir Place.
For the last five years Jane Bainbridge, the founder of Lanarkshire charity Choosing A New And Positive Employment (CANAPE), has been providing a free three-course dinner on Christmas Day for dozens of people in the community.
This year 50 local residents came together at Cambuslang Parish Church and Mandy was delighted to be amongst them.
She said: “It will be five years in March that I hadn’t been out for. I got out on Christmas Day for the first time and I thought I’d be nervous but I was fine.
“Sometimes I feel ready for giving up, but I never gave up hope of getting back out. It was only for a couple of hours but I just didn’t want to go back to my house.”
Mandy’s had to deal with a number of health issues over the years and her mobility deteriorated over the last few years.
“I got meningitis when I was 21 but recovered. I fell and dislocated my shoulders a few years ago and when I got out of the hospital my muscles had all weakened.
“I’m chair-shaped and I find it really hard getting about even going to the toilet and back.”
Mandy was picked up at home on Christmas Day by Santa’s helpers, volunteer elf drivers Eileen and Heather who were able to get her out of the house and over to the church for some company.
“It was great to get out and converse with people,” she admits. “I used to be out all the time socialising. I’m fine when I’m with people but I’m back to square one again, looking at these four walls 24/7.”
Mandy is hopeful that it won’t be next Christmas before she gets back out of the house next.
“I live in a four-in-a-block and it’s the downstairs house but there’s a few stairs, and there’s one that I just can’t get up or down at all,” she continued.
“I tried last year to get out and sunbathe as Social Work got a handrail put in, but I just couldn’t manage and took a panic attack. I’ve been trying to get a ramp installed.
“A councillor has taken up my case now after I posted something on the Old Rutherglen website page.”
CANAPE charity founder Jane Bainbridge, added: “Mandy hasn’t been out of the house in nearly five years due to her disability issues and not having a ramp. She was our wee Christmas miracle.
“Eileen and Heather took her a wee drive about to let her see what had changed in the area since she was last out, some of the shops have changed in that time, and after dinner they took her home again.
“The first Christmas Dinner I organised was in Hamilton five years ago but this was our best to date. We had 50 people there, and I’m delighted with that. We had single-parent families, people that don’t really get out, and older and other vulnerable people.
“The money is all donated by businesses and people in the community. I go around and beg, the ten pounds and twenty pounds all add up and eventually I have enough.”
The charity’s project Meet and 2 Veg distributes fresh food from going that would otherwise go to landfill, and operates from Flemington Hallside Parish Church in Halfway and Cambuslang Parish Church.
It has collected 43 tonnes of fresh food, the equivalent of over 100,000 meals.
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