New Projects
Rural Community Services have just increased the number of OPAL services we run for older people by being awarded funding from Brightlife to launch ‘New Horizons’ and ‘What’s Cooking’; two volunteer-led schemes launching in Spring 2017 to help reduce social isolation in the Frodsham and Helsby areas of Cheshire West.
New Horizons
New Horizons supports older people living in and around Frodsham who’d like to get out more to socialise with others. The aim is to help them rekindle hobbies they used to enjoy whilst also developing some new interests locally. New Horizons launches in Spring 2017.
What’s Cooking
What’s Cooking is a Community Club with cooking at its heart which offers people of all ages the opportunity to enjoy and experiment with all aspects of cooking; from learning new techniques and sharing traditional favourites to exploring recipes from across the world. Many older people lose the opportunity to cook and this new club intends to help reignite an interest in cooking and refresh their skills whilst enjoying friendly company and having fun. A full and varied programme of activities will include food preparation, demonstrations, guest speakers, food and recipe sharing as well as providing social opportunities for club members to eat out or in each other’s homes. What’s Cooking launches in Spring 2017.
Brightlife is a partnership led by Age UK Cheshire (Registered Charity Number 1091608). It has been awarded £5m as part of the Big Lottery’s Fulfilling Lives, Ageing Better fund, which has given a total of £82m to 14 areas throughout England in order to improve the lives of up to 200,000 older people. Over the next five years, Brightlife aims to work closely with older people to identify, design and implement a wide range of innovative solutions to address loneliness and isolation across Cheshire West and Chester.