A LUNCHEON club which provides meals for pensioners laid on a particularly sumptuous spread this week, as it celebrated its 25th anniversary.

Woodhouse Close Luncheon Club, which is based at Woodhouse Close Church in Bishop Auckland, marked quarter of a century with a party on Thursday.

The club was set up in October 1980, taking over from the former YMCA group, thanks to a hardy band of volunteers.

Many of those dedicated people are still involved, and they were joined by members of the club, past and present.

Jane Armstrong, one of the volunteers at the centre throughout its existence, said that it was a proud day.

"It has been wonderful," she said. "We can't thank all the volunteers enough - without them, it wouldn't work."

Former supervisor of the luncheon club Eileen Welsh, who helped found the club, added: "It started in a small way and grew.

"Now we provide a meals on wheels service with volunteer drivers and employ two cooks."

Staff at the centre tracked down as many former members as they could, with many attending the party.

The club's oldest member, Evelyn Gillett, 91, of Dorset Place, in Henknowle, blew out the candles on a cake and said that the club was about far more than just simply providing meals to pensioners in the area.

She said: "I've been coming down four years and they have been wonderful people to me. They seem to lift you up.

"Everybody helps and they have wonderful staff.

"I am really very lucky to be able to get around at my age and I seldom miss a meal here."