Mayor of Louth: ‘A great big thank you to everybody!’

Accompanied by his wife Sarah-Jayne, Coun Hobson first visited the Priory Hotel where owner, Paul Hugill, and his team have been running the ‘Neighbour’s Kitchen’ scheme since lockdown began, helping to provide hundreds of free nutritious meals to vulnerable people across the town.

The Mayor said it was ‘so heartwarming’ to see so many people coming together to support the project, for the ‘greater good’ of the community.

Mr Hugill said that he loves his hometown, and wants to ‘build on the goodwill’ that has developed throughout the coronavirus crisis.

He added that he hopes to secure permanent premises for the Neighbour’s Kitchen to operate on a full-time basis after the lockdown has lifted, potentially running on a ‘pay what you can afford’ model.

Paul added his thanks to local restaurants, volunteers and donors who have contributed towards the ongoing project.

The Mayor and Mayoress continued their visits around the town, first stopping off at The Cheese Shop, run by Paul Adams, which has been making deliveries to 
vulnerable people - and to those who feel uncomfortable going out - around Louth and the surrounding villages.

Paul explained that the shop had never carried out their own deliveries before, and added that this would be continuing after the lockdown has ended.

The Mayor and Mayoress then headed to Woollis & Son butchers in Mercer Row, who have adapted their business to provide hundreds of deliveries per week - rather than just a small handful per week - due to increased demand to delivery as a result of the lockdown.

The Mayor offered the owner, John Woolliss, and his brilliant team a ‘great big thank you’ for staying open to help feed the community, and for adapting their business accordingly with their extended delivery service to ensure that nobody has missed out.

The next stop on the Mayor’s tour was The Auction House restaurant and cafe in Cornmarket, which is owned by husband-and-wife team Rachel and Dale Wright.

Rachel told the Leader that there had been an emphasis on takeaways during the pandemic, adding that they had been assisting the aforementioned Neighbour’s Kitchen scheme.

Rachel added that she hopes that outdoor seating may be permitted outside The Auction House when we ease out of lockdown - but talks with the district council are ongoing. The Mayor said he looked forward to visiting the restaurant when it is safe to reopen.

The final stop on Thursday’s tour of the town was Bottomley Distillers Ltd on the Fairfield Industrial Estate, which had converted their premises into a hand sanitiser production centre during the lockdown.

Owners, Alan Bottomley and Amy Conyard, said that over 15,000 litres of sanitiser had been produced, with many being donated to 22 charities locally and nationally.

As a result of adapting their site, Alan and Amy were able to hire two new members of staff to help with the production.

The Mayor thanked the team for their ‘fantastic work in the community’ which had made such an important difference.

The Mayor and Mayoress visited several more businesses the next day (June 5), including Potty About Pets and Spill The Beans - both of which have adapted their working practices due to the pandemic - plus volunteers at the food bank at The Trinity Centre.

His sincere thanks goes out to these organisations, and many others, who have made such a difference to the town.