A LUNCH club hopes to have found the recipe for success in plans to buy a new cooker and keep its 70 members well fed.

Pensioners meet for weekly meals at the Sansome Walk Baptist Church, Worcester, and are hoping to raise £8,000 to replace its rusting 23-year-old stove.

They have made bids for grants from charities and have organised a concert to make sure meals are still served.

"The cooker is working but it is liable to fall apart at the bottom," said Don Hancox, one of about 40 volunteers who help every Tuesday at the church.

"Getting the money will mean we can carry on cooking meals that everyone has become accustomed to."

The club has been running since 1982, with members coming from across the city for meals like roast lamb or beef, ham and sausages, and is so popular it has a waiting list.

"I come for a very good meal and for the very good company," said 85-year-old Gladys Evans, of Christchurch Road, Tolladine. "I've been coming for 20 years and I've made a lot of friends."

"I came as a helper the first day it opened," added 94-year-old Amy Heath, of Ombersley Road. "I remember the first pudding - it was apple pie and I had to bring it on the bus."

A fund-raising Tarantara Choir concert will take place at the church on Saturday, June 25, at 7.30pm. It will feature a range of styles including religious favourites, songs from the shows and folk music.

Tickets cost £6, including refreshments, and can be bought on 01905 26150. Anyone interested in helping or joining the club can call Mr Hancox on 01905 22269.