Frodsham Town Council has reported a 14 per cent drop in the number of local over-70s claiming their Christmas vouchers through the annual Council scheme.

Each year, Frodsham Town Council offers every town resident over 70 years of age a £10 gift voucher, which they can in turn redeem in a number of shops or donate to a good cause.

In 2020, 974 vouchers were issued to residents by Frodsham and District Open Hands volunteers and Town Councillors, compared to 1132 in the previous year.

The greatest proportion of people taking up their voucher was in Overton & Five Crosses ward, where 91 per cent of over-70s took part in the initiative. However, in Waterside ward, only 83 per cent of eligible residents claimed their gift token.

In all, 852 vouchers were redeemed, with some recipients choosing to spend their tokens in establishments including Coward's Butchers, 4 Seasons 4 Food, the Ring O' Bells, The Cottage Teashop, Simply Local, Flowers by Jenny Penny and Dandelion Gifts.

Meanwhile, a total of £640 was donated to organisations such as St Laurence Church, the Will to Work Workshop, the 4th Frodsham Scout Group and Frodsham Community Association.

By the end of this year's scheme, Frodsham Town Council had distributed £8,520 of its £15,000 budget to participating businesses and community groups.

This reduced uptake was of course largely due to the coronavirus pandemic, which made it difficult for people to access and redeem the vouchers.

During a Town Council Policy, Process and Revenue Committee meeting on Monday 26 April, Cllr Ryan McKeown suggested that this year, businesses taking part in the scheme might also offer to hand out the voucher forms to eligible residents to encourage a greater uptake.