Proposals to overhaul the meals on wheels service - which could see hot meals replaced by frozen dinners - have provoked a storm of outrage.

Most of the 800,000 meals delivered each year throughout Essex are provided by the WRVS. The Echo went out on a typical delivery round with Rayleigh WRVS to gauge opinion.

The knock at the door, kind face and reassuring voice is something that 84-year-old Cecil Brown - and hundreds of elderly and infirm people across south Essex - look forward to when their meals on wheels arrive.

But the visits on which so many people rely could be replaced with one delivery of frozen meals each fortnight, under proposals being considered by Essex County Council.

That would spell disaster according to both those who receive the meals and the volunteers who give up their time to deliver them.

For it's not just the smell of hot, delicious food which housebound residents look forward to.

Nor is it the knowledge that well-balanced nutrition, so vital to those who are unable to cook for themselves, is arriving on the doorstep.

Meals on wheels is much more than that. It's about forming friendships - and knowing someone will be there if anything unfortunate should happen, according to Cecil Brown from Rayleigh.

The chirpy pensioner said: "I just don't see anyone else during the week. My wife is in hospital and I'm not sure when she will be home.

"If I had a fall the only people who would know are these meals on wheels deliverers."

Just a few doors along the street, Herbert Mather, 87, said: "I've never bought frozen food. It's mainly synthetic, and doesn't have the nutrition old people need.

"I'm so grateful for the service, and don't know what I would do if I had to cook my own meals. I'm virtually blind and wouldn't want to try using the oven."

Fred Gunn, 80, lives in a small bungalow in Rayleigh and suffers from diabetes which affects his vision and circulation.

He said: "I can't eat any sweet food and the volunteers always make sure I get the right meals for my needs."

Fred can pass out when his blood sugar levels fluctuate, and the only people who would find him would be the meals on wheels volunteers, he claims.

He said: "It's just so reassuring knowing they are coming, and I don't have to worry all the time. If they knocked on the door and there was no answer, they would call an ambulance straight away - which could save my life."

The service appears to punctuate the often lonely lives of a growing number of elderly people in south Essex - and provide them not only with hot food, but other essential ingredients of life on which they are so dependent.

It's not just a delivery service

Devoted volunteer Jim Donaldson has given up his time to deliver hot meals since he retired 18 years ago - and plans to continue for many years to come.

The retired civil servant, who is himself 80 this year, said: "It's more than a basic delivery service. You form friendships with people, and worry about them if they're not there."

Joyce Crisp, 57, a former school teacher, joins Jim for the regular two-hour delivery trip around Rayleigh.

She said: "We do a lot of deliveries here, and can see how much people appreciate it. I would be upset if the council decided to reduce the service, especially if that meant just one delivery of frozen meals every fortnight.

"I would also have serious doubts about the practicalities. Many people we visit don't even have the necessary equipment to cook their own food.

"We really enjoy providing the service, and would definitely miss the people we visit so often."

The deliverers are from the Women's Royal Voluntary Service, based in Castle Road, Rayleigh.

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