We are a small, energetic, self-help charity within a deprived inner-city neighbourhood of Camden. Our typical user is someone living alone in rented accommodation, on low income, in their 70s, with a long-term health condition, with English as a second language. The main reason for joining us is acute loneliness and the need to make new friends. Our users face significant barriers to accessing mainstream services due to language, culture, ill health and poverty. With our help they are able to access a wide range of low cost learning opportunities and build new friendship and support networks for independent living. Our vision is to turn on its head the prevalent view that the third age is a burden on society and promote the view (through practical projects) that old people are valuable and important community assets and should be placed at the very heart of a community. In doing so we transform older people’s lives, nurture creative aspiration, co-produce low cost services and build community and reverse the declining quality of life and well-being of the elderly. We do this in the following ways:
Improve quality of life through a wide ranging weekly programme of accessible educational, healthy living, social and physical activities. Improve general health and knowledge with a 60+ health club where users support and motivate each other, attend health talks with visiting experts. Empower older people to take on greater responsibility through an elected older people’s forum –the Golden Years- that organises social and fundraising and co-ordinates over 60 volunteers as welcome hosts, befrienders and interpreters. Improve life chances and create confident English speakers by running English conversation clubs and overcome acute loneliness through opportunities to build new friendships and personal support networks. Challenge stereotypes by Showcasing third age talent through cultural and community public performances in theatres and schools to help achieve our vision. Recently, we have drawn on national research into key factors for identifying lonely older people to develop a local strategy recruiting residents as outreach volunteers, bringing in new partners such as the local police team and tenants associations. Loneliness is reaching epidemic proportions as a result of older people living alone, for longer, without access to the support they need. Inequalities in old age are rising especially for those with a lifetime of low-paid work, who are often in poor health as well as on low income. We have partnership agreements with 18 different charitable, educational and corporate organisations that provide substantial “in kind” resources such as volunteers, teaching staff, room space, training and expertise. This enables our small charity to deliver a considerably bigger punch and have a major impact on the lives of older residents. Although a small charity, we have always been at the forefront of change, introducing tai chi classes 18 years ago (to reduce the high incidence of falls locally), training residents 12 years ago to become volunteer public health assistants (to promote healthier lifestyles), piloting diabetes support groups among Asian residents 10 years ago (with a pharmacy), an older men’s Health Bus (8 years ago), English conversation clubs 5 years ago, and trialled the use of ipads with those with dementia (with a time bank). We have become a community partner with an acclaimed theatre company and regularly produce public performances and sensory productions to which our users, local schools and the public attend. Over 10 years ago we won an Innovation in Volunteering Award by setting up a community time bank as an independent sister charity that has enabled us to carry out successful intergenerational projects (eg. annual Grandparents Day) that has brought the generations together in building mutual respect and trust. 5 years ago we won an UCL Santander Excellence Award for the impact our volunteering opportunities had on student lives. In 2017 we celebrate our 20th anniversary and like many other small charities, we are at a crossroads, with reduced public funding, a need to develop the potential of our membership as our single largest asset (eg. new third age ambassador roles), a growing realisation that our body of practice and experience can be of wider importance, and the need to further develop and report on an important sustainable model of intervention and good practice.
