Simon makes an extra special Meals on Wheels delivery
Read on to find an account from one of our amazing Community Team Members in West Sussex…
On a sunny Sunday in August an interesting meal handover took place at a client’s home in West Sussex…
Upon walking through the back gate (as always) I was greeted by the daughter of our lovely regular client – Ernst. I was invited to join other family members that had gathered in the back garden to hand over a framed picture of our client in the rear seat of
a Spitfire that Ernst had recently flown in as his birthday treat, a flight that he had promised himself to take and to pay for himself – they are not cheap!
I shared information on my hobby of making Airfix model aeroplanes and said to the daughter that I might surprise her father in future with a gift. My childhood hobby was retriggered just prior to the COVID lockdown of 2020 when I purchased approx.10 Airfix kits to occupy myself through those troubled times.
The model was painted by me and a suitable stand applied to allow for full display at our client’s home, and I have waited for the specific shift to be allocated for me to surprise our client with the handover.
Ernst was somewhat in awe of my generosity and with me having taken time and thought into its preparation and with the actual detail of the model. It will sit in a special place on a shelf and shown to family members when they visit.
Ernst brought his flight forward from next year when he celebrates his 100th birthday to this year because of his health deteriorating. He has held the Spitfire as the finest fighter plane throughout WW2.
He was a 19 year old German trouper based at a German Air Force station on the Dutch / German border. He was captured by British forces in March 1945, just prior to the end of the war, shipped to a Prisoner of War camp in Liverpool, and upon release decided to remain in England where he then found employment, love and a new way of life on the south coast with an English wife and later children.
Ernst is a lovely man, always smiling and always grateful for the service extended by all the regular HILS delivery drivers, and I personally found enjoyment in the making of his Spitfire model.
I left him with some tears in his eyes, but with a big smile on his face.
This is a shining example of how our Community Team Members go above and beyond for our clients every day. If you or someone you care for could benefit from our meals on wheels service, please get in touch today.
