Specialist tea room owner honoured in television campaign for combatting loneliness

Carole Goulding, who runs the specialist tearoom in Friskney, was invited to ITV This Morning’s 1 Million Minutes Awards ceremony where she received the Dame Barbara Windsor Loneliness Award.

The third year of the awards was hosted by Ben Shephard and Charlotte Hawkins and the 1MM pledges totalled over 109 million minutes during the live show.

Thousands of viewers watching the ceremony heard Carole had been surprised by the news of the award by Rylan Clark and Alison Hammond.

"It was a total shock – I had no idea what was going on,” recalled Carole, who alongside giving opportunities to people with learning difficulties and early onset dementia cares for her husband, Mark, who also has dementia.

The award was presented by the late Dame Barbara’s husband, Scott Mitchell, and former EastEnders co-star Jake Jake Wood.

Scott said: 'All I can say to you is I know what it takes to care for one person living with dementia, and I know you live with Mark [her husband]. To be able to give your time to other people on top of that, is beyond anything I can imagine and you’re a very special lady.'

After building the called Grandma’s Pudding Co business selling cakes and puddings at markets across Lincolnshire, Carole opened the not-for-profit GPC Specialist Tea Room C.I.C in May 2021.

“It was a dream I had for 26 years to give job opportunities as my own daughter has learning difficulties,” she said.

"It started with two learning difficulties adults and has now expanded to 49.

"The cafe has now become a community hub and now has groups for walkers and well-being groups.

"It has dementia patients, altsheimers patients and carers, learning disability patients and their carers, lots and lots of community groups and organisations, people who come in for a chat, and people who might be isolated who come to make friends.

"It really is my dream come true.

"Originally, it was my husband’s dream and my mum’s who encouraged me but now I carry on and have lots of new plans for 2024.”

The tea room is now closed until January 15. It is situated on Howgarth Lane, Friskney PE22 8PQ.