The scheme aims to put the fun back into shopping, cooking and eating. Project workers Jo Fitzpatrick, of Cambridgeshire ACRE, and Melanie Murdoch, of Age Concern, will be working with older people at various venues across the district.

Sessions will be held at the Oasis Centre and Boyden Court in Wisbech, Lyons Court in Chatteris and the Tuesday Club in March during the initial stages of the project.

The sessions will include a range of activities which build on the skills older people already possess.

The joys and challenges of shopping and cooking will be highlighted through games such as ‘Food Bingo’ and ‘The Price Is Right’.

Older people will be encouraged to discuss ‘hot topics’ and share their ideas and opinions on food.

A loss of mobility and confidence regarding food shopping can lead some older people to feel unenthusiastic about food and one of the aims of this project is to combat this by encouraging people to consider alternative options in relation to transport and access to food shops.

Food prices and cheaper options will be discussed to ensure people on tight budgets get value for money.

There have been exciting advances in the number and range of kitchen aids available to older people, from hands-free can openers to knives designed for arthritis sufferers and the Carry on Cooking project aims to increase the awareness of these options and promote independence in the kitchen.

Options and suggestions to combat challenges such as manoeuvring heavy pans into and out of the oven and not being able to clearly see the small numbers on timers and dials will also be explored to ensure the whole cooking process is as easy and accessible as possible.

Once the project has been established in Fenland and a ‘toolkit’ of activities has been created and shown to be successful it will be rolled out across the region.

Best practices and success stories will be shared with other counties and similar projects will be set up in other areas so keep your eyes peeled for further updates and opportunities for yourself or someone you know to get involved in this exciting project.