OPAL is organising a Soup Lunch fundraiser at KELSALL COMMUNITY CENTRE, Chester Rd, Kelsall, Tarporley CW6 0SB
FRIDAY 15th OCTOBER, 12.30pm – 2.30pm
Come along and enjoy a light lunch of soup followed by cake and a hot drink, while at the same time supporting OPAL
Cost: £5 per person + Raffle
For tickets please contact Jo on 01928 787899 or email Jo at joquilter72@outlook.com or Juliet at julietcompston@googlemail.com
OPAL held it’s first face to face fundraising event on 15th October. Thank you to all who volunteered and to Jo and Juliet and the fundraising team for putting the event together. It was good to see people again and enjoy the day while at the same time raising valuable funds for OPAL.
You can read the latest updates on the reopening of OPAL Services in our September issue of OPAL Matters.
OPAL is delighted to announce that it has been awarded £3000 by Cheshire Community Foundation to support the most vulnerable older adults in our rural communities as covid restrictions lift. With this money OPAL will be able to support a number of people who need a more extended and gradual transition to social situations within the community.
The funding will allow us to temporarily extend some of the specific support measures employed through lockdown including the delivery of regular activity packs and goody bags to individuals who are especially reticent and reluctant to have any contact or socialise with others following the pandemic. It will allow intensive support to a number of those older people and carers who have suffered greatly as a direct result of lockdown and who will be offered the chance to slowly but surely come to terms with their fears and establish the means to transition with confidence to life once again in the wider community.
OPAL has published issue 11 of the OPAL Matters newsletter with news and updates on the reopening of some services.
Read Issue 11 here.
OPAL Services is delighted to have been awarded £7,000 by the Marshes Community Benefit Fund towards its ongoing OPAL In Touch project which is developing digital inclusion services for older people and their carers.
By providing people who currently have limited or no access to the digital world, the project will give older people and their carers an opportunity to sample a variety of communication platforms and equipment selected, based on their individual needs and capabilities.
The project supports access to online banking, shopping, and to health and well-being related services and importantly will also give people a chance to increase their day-to-day social interaction with family and friends via Facetime, Skype, Zoom etc. This funding will support participants in the MCBF area of Frodsham and Helsby to receive 1-2-1 mentoring support, tailored to their specific needs.
OPAL’s thanks go to the MCBF for their invaluable support.
To read the latest news from OPAL, download Issue 10 of our OPAL Matters newsletter.
OPAL In Touch, a new service to support older people who currently have little or no experience of using technology has received a generous boost of funding from the Masonic Charitable Foundation (London Office), and the Cheshire Province. This funding will be invaluable in helping OPAL to help older people in rural communities in west Cheshire, who do not yet benefit from having the skills and equipment to access the internet, to keep in touch with family and friends during the pandemic.
The service will be run through our very successful OPAL GoOnLine service and will transform the lives of older people caught in a cycle of isolation without access to the digital world. Each client will be allocated a suitable volunteer who will support them on their IT journey. The service will begin in April 2021.
OPAL is delighted to announce that Cheshire West and Chester Council has awarded us a new contract to provide carer breaks through to Autumn 2022.
Further funding on £30,000, also from the Council, will allow us to relaunch our carer services as BreakTime Plus. We will provide an enhanced befriending service as we emerge out of lockdown, comprising our OPAL Reach newsletter, activity packs and our phone befriending service. The new service begins on 1st April 2021.
OPAL Services is pleased to announce that it has received £2500 from the Cheshire West and Chester Council LTTA fund to support OPAL In Touch. OPAL In Touch is an exiting new service that is designed to help older people in rural communities who have no experience, or very limited experience, of using technology. More information will be appearing on our website very soon.
