Lottery 'Win' For Village's Elderly

A project to transform the lives of isolated and vulnerable older people in south Belfast's Village area has been awarded a grant from the Big Lottery Fund.

Southcity Resource & Development Centre has been awarded £200,000 from the Big Lottery Fund's Reaching out: Connecting Older People programme which supports older people affected by issues such as bereavement, disability and long term illness or who live in residential care or sheltered housing.

The group will use the funding to run a range of support services and activities in their centre to improve the health, confidence, community involvement and safety of lonely and isolated older people living in the disadvantaged Donegall Road and Sandy Row areas of south Belfast.

Services will include health advice clinics, a drop in centre, a befriending service, a good morning and good night programme and a community and home safety advice scheme. There will also be activities to improve mental and physical health such as shopping trips, alternative therapies, swimming, healthy eating, a community newsletter and a reminiscence project.

An older people's forum will be formed so older people can help plan community events and activities and lobby local politicians on issues affecting them, and the project will also run activities aimed at reducing fear and building friendships between older and young people in the area.

"The Village area is one of the most deprived and disadvantaged areas in Northern Ireland, with high levels of ill health and a lack of facilities," said Development Manager, Bob Stoker.

"There has also been a lot of burglaries and anti-social behaviour in the past, particularly among young people, and there are older people living in fear," he said.

"Older people here feel neglected. Society has let them down and they feel that no one cares about them because they are just not getting the support they need.

"Many older people are stuck in the house, feeling isolated and lonely because they believe they have been forgotten by the community and the government. They have a voice, but no one wants to listen."

He continued: "We are listening to older people, giving them a centre that belongs to them which addresses their needs and concerns.

"We are giving them the chance to tell us, the wider community and the government what they need.

"It's going to be exciting. Our older people are going to set up a working group and they will invite elected politicians and representatives from government to meet with them to discuss the issues affecting their lives, and get them to listen to what they want," he said.

"We also plan to run intergenerational activities breaking down barriers between young and older people, building respect between them, and we will work closely with local pharmacies and the health centre to monitor their health and keep a check on their medication.

"This project is improving older people's health and well-being, boosting their confidence and esteem, tackling their isolation and fear, and giving them the chance to play a role in community life, passing on their experience so they feel valued by society. It's going to make a huge difference to so many older people's lives."

Frank Hewitt, Big Lottery Fund NI Chair, said: "I am delighted that we are announcing this grant for Southcity Resource & Development Centre, awarded through our £20 million Connecting Older People programme.

"This programme closes to outline proposal forms on 29th Feb 2012, so if you've got an idea for a project that you think could be funded we would advise you to get your project proposal in as soon as possible.

"Grants of up to £500,000 are available to support older people through activities such as physical and mental health projects, volunteering programmes and projects that will bring isolated older people and young people together," he said.

(BMcC/GK)