Age UK Wakefield District

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1 Age UK Wakefield District ebulletin Issue No 7 July 2013 In this e-bulletin: News from Age UK Wakefield District click here Age UK Wakefield District s Services including our Spotlighted Service: Health & Wellbeing Touchstones Project click here Volunteering click here Fundraising Events click here National Update click here News from Age UK Wakefield District 30 Years, Thank you! On Friday, 12 July 2013 many of us shared in a celebratory event in Wakefield Cathedral. Thirty years ago Age Concern Wakefield District celebrated its launch in the same building, decades later, with countless thousands of individuals having been helped by the Organisation and many hundreds having been involved in the Organisation s work, we joined with Choirs from across the District to raise the roof to all that has been achieved. Thank you to everyone who secured the event s success, those who organised it and those who participated, it was a wonderful evening! Organisational change Goodbye In the past month we have said goodbye to the team of nine social work students who have shared in the activity of Age UK Wakefield District since last October. Bringing considerable gifts and abilities as well as providing valued support for our activities the Organisation has benefited greatly from their presence. We wish them all well as they go on towards qualification and are already looking forward to the next group who will begin to arrive again this autumn. We have said goodbye to others too, Jan Young (Befriending Co-ordinator) and Julie Clayton (Support worker - Social Contact Scheme) have both moved on after many years with us. We were, of course sorry to see valued members of staff leave but they have both left us with a positive legacy on which to build for the future which we are grateful for. Hello We welcome Ann Ablett who has taken over the running of the Befriending Service. As a result of a drive to increase the services and activities of the Organisation we are fortunate to have been in a position to appoint staff to develop new and existing services. Seven new appointments have been made so far and it is very likely that we will be appointing further between now and Christmas please keep an eye on our website for regular updates if you are interested. Page 1 of 6

2 Age UK Wakefield District s Services Spotlighted Service: Health and Wellbeing Touchstones Project My name is Libby Eades and I run the Touchstones Project at Age UK Wakefield District. Touchstones is a project that has been developed by Rural Action Yorkshire in partnership with Age UK s Wakefield District, Craven and Harrogate. The aim of the project is to bring people together who live in rural areas (see National Update below) and have been bereaved. Groups are being set up where people can socialise and different skills exchanged helping them remain independent skills such as: cooking, sewing, gardening, etc. I am pleased to be able to tell you that two new groups have started: Chair Based Exercises Hall Green Community Centre 1A Painthorpe Lane, Hall Green, Wakefield, WF4 3JU 3 rd Wednesday of every month 1.30pm 2.30pm 2.50 (includes refreshments) Everyone welcome (not just those who are bereaved) Try a different skill at each session Hall Green Community Centre 1A Painthorpe Lane, Hall Green, Wakefield, WF4 3JU 3 rd Wednesday of every month 2.30pm 4.00pm Free Only for those who are bereaved For more information please contact: Libby Eades, Health & Development Worker t Page 2 of 6

3 Social Prescribing Over the past year Age UK Wakefield District has been testing new models of support provision for older people. We are aware that many of the low level interventions that we offer can both directly and indirectly help individuals to improved health. For example we all know that regular exercise is good for us but additionally statistics tell us that when people feel isolated or lonely that their health also suffers. This Organisation and many others recognise that the earlier we can help people to overcome their difficulties the better the results. In order to achieve this we have been developing the Social Prescription Programme in conjunction with local GP surgeries, hospitals and clinics. Health Care professionals refer individuals directly to the Organisation for a leaf assessment and through this process we are able to help an individual find the help they need to make life feel better. We are currently developing the programme in partnership with Wakefield District NHS, Macmillan Cancer Care and the Department of Health through a variety of different projects. If you are interested to know more please contact: Melanie Ndzinga, Social Prescription Manager t Two Great Summer Events Age UK Wakefield District in partnership with South West Yorkshire Foundation Trust are running two summer events over the August holidays. Geocashing A modern day treasure hunt Pugneys Country Park, Asdale Road, off Denby Dale Road, Wakefield, WF2 7EQ Wednesday, 7 August 2013 Between 10am 3pm Come along to the event, bring the grandchildren and have a go at a new exciting activity that all the family can enjoy. Geocaching is an outdoor treasure hunting game, in which the participants use a Global Positioning System receiver (GPS) mobile device to seek containers called "Geocaches" or "Caches", which will be placed around Pugneys Country Park. A typical Cache is a small waterproof container containing a logbook where the Geocacher (the participant) enters the date they found it and signs it with their name. After signing into the log, the Cache must be placed back exactly where the person found it. More information can be found at Containers will contain Treasure for you to keep, participants will also be entered into a free prize draw to win some super goodies. Even if you don t have a smart phone you will still be able to join the fun. For more information please contact: Daniel Eades, Health & Wellbeing Development Worker, SWYorks Partnership NHS Foundation Trust t Page 3 of 6

4 10K Walk or guided shorter walks Nostell Priory and Parkland, Wakefield Friday, 30 August am start time We are again holding our annual 10k walk or guided shorter walks. Join in and get active in the beautiful surroundings at Nostell Priory - the organised walk is designed for any ability and walk leaders are available for support, entry for the walk is free. Why not use the opportunity to raise money for Age UK Wakefield District and make this a sponsored walk. Sponsor Sheets are available from Mandy Mason on Come along bring the family, a picnic and enjoy a day out with us at Pugneys Country Park and Nostell Priory, we look forward to seeing you all there. News from the Retail Front Horbury Shop delivers by design Margaret Selvey, the tireless Manager of Horbury shop, has developed a flair for designing everything from attractive shop windows to village show stalls and is delivering great success through both. Together with volunteers, she addresses each season with choice stock and a tailored window and now has a regular crowd of visitors - a real result when her unit is located at the end of the High Street, without the benefit of regular passing trade. And on Sunday 30 June, at the famous Horbury Show, Margaret and volunteer Rosalind managed to raise 143 for our fundraising effort, by developing a popular teddy tombola, which also cleared down our considerable stocks of soft toys very nicely. If you have ever thought of volunteering and live near the Horbury area, this is the team to join! Please contact Margaret at the shop on or drop her an to MargaretSelvey@ageukwd.org.uk. Volunteering Volunteers In addition to staff we are continually grateful to our team of volunteers who support all that we do. Over the next months we are intending to develop our volunteer programme further as well as increasing the opportunities for older people to become involved in the Organisation. Look out for invitations in the ebulletin! Without the community of people behind the Organisation we would not be able to deliver much needed activities and services. Find new friends, feel part of something, why not get involved and help us make the next 30 years as successful as the last! Fundraising Events A fundraising event is being planned for September which will be held at our Lock Lane Centre in Castleford. For information will be in our next ebulletin. Page 4 of 6

5 Job Vacancies We currently have a job vacancy for a Support Worker Social Contact Scheme. Please visit our website to download a Recruitment Pack. For more information please ring Local Update Big Lottery Fund, Fulfilling Lives: Ageing Better Wakefield District has been successful in getting through to Stage 2 with its Expression of Interest to the Big Lottery Fund (BLF). The programme is directing funding to tackle isolation and loneliness in older people into the voluntary sector. If successful, local Organisations and groups will be able to develop innovative programmes intended to ensure that our ageing population is better able to be involved, engaged and active in the District. The BLF is making between 2 and 6million available for this work. Look out for further news and opportunities to be involved as the bid is developed in newsletters and on local websites. Nova Wakefield District At an Extraordinary General Meeting on Friday, 12 July 2013, Members of VAWD and the Wakefield District Wellbeing Consortium (WDWC) voted unanimously to merge. This will enable the formation of a new Organisation, Nova Wakefield District. From 1 October 2013, Nova Wakefield District will provide support to voluntary sector organisations within the district, it will be well placed to enable the sector to meet the challenges and opportunities ahead. The services supported will include; organisational development, voluntary activity, contract delivery and business support. National Update Age UK report: Later Life in Rural England details growing concern over our ageing rural population. By % of the population in rural areas will be over the age of 85 as opposed to 49% in the UK as a whole. Age UK is campaigning for central government to take this into account when implementing policies and programmes. Campaigners are asking that due consideration be given to the challenges posed by different types of housing, stone, solid wall old properties, and off gas properties, as well as the challenges of poor access to transport services. Services in rural areas are at great risk unless the rural premium is taken into account when assessing service provision. Key Facts and Stats Key facts: 35% of pensioner households in rural areas have no access to a car or van Rural households spend nearly 20 per week more on transport than urban households 36% of households in rural areas are off the gas grid Anecdotal evidence suggests that isolation and loneliness is a bigger problem in rural areas than for the general population in the UK where it is estimated that there are 1.2million people over 50 who are socially isolated and 17% of older people have less than weekly contact with family, friends and neighbours. Age UK is calling the Government s Rural Communities Policy Unit to take action as concern that social isolation and loneliness in rural areas is hidden and goes unnoticed. Page 5 of 6

6 National News A stroke changed my life and I wasn t even the patient This week in the Guardian Jackie Ashley writes of her experience of becoming a full time Carer for husband, Andrew Marr. Her down to earth reflections on the sudden experience will resonate with many. Reality and theory are brought into sharp relief. Follow the article and subsequent comments on the link below. For more information on any of the above information please contact: Age UK Wakefield District 7 Bank Street Castleford WF10 1JD T F Registered Charity No: Registered in England and Wales Registered in England and Wales About this If you do not wish to receive this please send an to admin@ageukwd.org.uk with unsubscribe in the subject line Page 6 of 6