A GOVANHILL charity facing closure has been “thrown a lifeline” by the National Lottery Community Fund.

Food Train Glasgow has been saved from immediate closure thanks to a £75,000 grant.

The funding will secure the charity’s shopping and delivery services for 400 people aged 65 and over for the next 12 months while work to safeguard operations for the longer term continue.

City residents and organisations rallied to raise thousands of pounds via a Crowdfunding campaign which kept operations going after Food Train’s local authority funding ended in March.

Douglas McCallister, a volunteer with the charity for the past two years, said: “The reaction we’ve had at every home has been one of relief.

“Without Food Train, many of our members didn’t know how they were going to get their shopping and look after themselves. The immediate threat we faced was causing real stress and anxiety.

“The older people we support are often housebound, isolated and overlooked by others. For some, we’re the only people they get to speak to for days on end. Removing all that we do would have had a real negative impact on their health, in so many ways.”

In the past 10 years, Food Train Glasgow has made more than 67,000 grocery deliveries.

Chief executive Michelle Carruthers said: “We are delighted and relieved. The effect on the wellbeing of our members has been a big worry for our team, and particularly worrying for our fantastic volunteers who are like extended family to many of our members.

“The way the community has rallied behind us has been so heartening. We’re grateful to everyone who has got behind our fight for survival so far.”