Professor Angeliki Papadaki from the School for Policy Studies attended the event with members of the National Association of Care Catering (NACC).
Professor Papadaki is the academic lead behind the website mealsonwheelsuk.org – the UK’s first online national directory for Meals on Wheels services.
The site helps champion awareness of the service and the providers available to the people who need it. There have been 29,500 visitors since its launch in November 2024 and councils, GPs and community organisations regular direct people to the site.
Professor Papadaki’s ongoing research into the value of Meals and Wheels aims to identify how to improve access to the service and to measure the value it provides to support independent living and access to healthy food amongst other benefits.
She said: “I was honoured to attend this reception, alongside an amazing group of Meals on Wheels service providers, who are doing a fantastic job keeping adults with care and support needs living independently in their homes for longer.
“Their stories, and those of the people who benefit from this essential service, haven’t stopped inspiring me. That’s why we’re working at the University of Bristol to shine a light on the value of Meals on Wheels, and to produce robust evidence that can shape its future.”