Volunteers to cook hundreds of meals for elderly in run up to Christmas A Blackburn volunteer group will be cooking and delivering meals in the run up to Christmas. Friends of Infirmary Area work with older and vulnerable people and are organising a ‘Christmas Meals on Wheels’ project to assist 150 people in Blackburn and Darwen. The group has been asked by the council to make a further 150 meals to support more vulnerable residents, which will be referrals via the council Help Hub. Hannah Goldthorpe said: “Our voluntary group is all about reducing loneliness and isolation and I generally run regular projects such as Scholars Senior lunch club, Highfield coffee group and afternoon tea events at Wesley Hall which is where I bring older people together to socialise.