A WOMAN who has cooked more than 20,000 meals for elderly people in Derby has been given a treat of her own with an appearance on ITV's Surprise Surprise.
Maureen Ford, 72, began volunteering as a cook at Age UK Chaddesden – which runs a weekly lunch club – in 1995 after retiring from her job as a school dinner lady.
And it was in recognition of all her hard work that led granddaughters Christina Ford, 22, and Sophie Ford, 18, to secretly nominate her to appear on the programme.
The show presented by Holly Willoughby, treats deserving people – often those who have given their time to help others.
Maureen, of Sherwood Avenue, in Chaddesden, said: "When the spotlight came on in the audience, my head was going from left to right, like at Wimbledon seeing who it was going to land on. I couldn't believe it when the light came down on me!"
Maureen, who has volunteered at the lunch club for 16 years, was invited by granddaughter Christina to spend the weekend with her in London under the pretence that they were going to see a show.
"She said we were going to London to see Alan Carr," said Maureen.
"My eldest granddaughter told me to buy a nice dress, I just thought we would might go to the Ritz for dinner.
"When we got to London and arrived at the TV studios, I thought that we would be part of the audience for Alan Carr's show. Then I saw Surprise Surprise. It was only when the spotlight came down that I realised what was happening.
"The best part about it was that five minutes earlier my granddaughters had started doing their make-up and asking if they looked okay – when it should have been me doing my hair!"
Maureen said a video clip was shown to the audience featuring her granddaughters talking about why she had been nominated.
She said: "I love doing the lunch club. I do it along with looking after my husband Gerald who is in a nursing home. Although it was a shock to be on the programme I had such a lovely day.
"When we came out of the studios there was a limousine waiting outside with my name down the side of it. It was absolutely gorgeous.
"I got to have a look round the Loose Women set and I won a holiday to Barcelona, too. Everyone was so wonderful and Holly Willoughby is a lovely, lovely lady."
Teresa Williams, development worker at Age UK, said: "We were so pleased when we found out that she had been nominated. She gets involved in anything and everything, including our Age UK Rock Choir every Friday. She collects the money at the door as well as organising people."
