Here are a few items to keep you up to date on what’s happening within the organisation from Age UK Calderdale and Kirklees.
Huddersfield Office: We have now relocated Insurance, I and A and the public office from 5 Upperhead Row to 12 New Street. These are much more customer friendly and visible for people. All phone numbers and contacts are the same as before. This move does not apply to people based in Standard House (the upstairs office).
Shopmobility: As from 1st April 2015 we will be taking over the running of Shopmobility in Kirklees. This will operate from our New street site. This will run along side our existing service in Calderdale and the charges for the service will be the same across both areas.
North Kirklees Day Care: We are relocating our Fieldhead Day Centre to much better premise’s in Soothill Batley. The centre is operated by the Society for the Blind and we will be working very closely with them going forward. The centre is all on one level, these is a full catering kitchen, multi rooms including computer suite, pamper room, a fantastic activity room with full sprung dance floor and views that are spectacular. Outside it has ample parking for the busses and some wonderful gardens.
Whitfield Centre, 180 Soothill Lane, Batley WF17 6HP
Kerry Lee Horton and her team will all be continuing at the new centre and existing contact numbers will be staying the same.
Community Projects: The specific Health promotion programme is changing as the funding is ending at the end of March. This will be adapting to a new Falls and Frailty Project (this will primarily operate in Calderdale). The new project will identify older people at risk of falls and frailty, helping them to assess their lifestyle and determinants of health, seek solutions to building their own resilience by developing an individual tailored plan. More information on this will follow once plans are finalised, but for further information contact Anne Cuthbert.
Befriending: From 1st April our existing Active Befriending service will be changing to a more traditional visiting model and a telephone befriending service. This will be available across all our areas. We will also be linking this to the national Age UK Call In Time telephone Befriending Scheme. This service will be very much reliant on volunteers and I would encourage any one who knows anybody who may be interested in this to let us know, also any existing volunteers who may be interested in being involved in this area please again let us know. Final details are still to be resolved but for further information please speak with Christine Henry.
Across Calderdale LGBT Group: AgeUK Calderdale and Kirklees and AgeUK Todmorden identified a gap in Calderdale and approached local activist, Jan Bridget, to help set up a group for LGBT people in Calderdale aged 50+. on 15th February (coinciding with LGBT History Month), a new social group called Over the Rainbow was launched in our Day Centre on Harley Street in Todmorden. Nine people turned up for the first meeting representing each section of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities. The group will meet every Sunday, 1-4 p.m. The idea is to have a programme of activities including films, discussions, talks, quizzes, games as well as time to catch up with a brew and make new friends. For more information contact AgeUK Todmorden: 01706 817926 or emailinfo@ageuktodmorden.org.uk
Newsletter: Judith and James are now working on the second edition of the re launched newsletter and I am sure would welcome any items that you would like them to include. This is something that we have all asked for so please do support this communication pathway.
I am sure that you will agree that these are exciting times. Being able to offer these new services, mostly, across both Calderdale and Kirklees is great and a fantastic way for us to help older people. One of our next steps will be to continue the work we are developing around getting a single database that operates across ALL our services. You will be asked over the coming weeks for your input into this and how we can make sure that once operational the database becomes a valuable tool to help in the joined up support for people that we all want to offer.
Colin Cromack
Customer Services Executive
Age UK Calderdale and Kirklees
12 New Street
Huddersfield HD1 2AR
Tel: 01484 535994
www.ageuk.org.uk/calderdaleandkirklees