With two years of challenges and uncertainty behind us the Care Fund is having its busiest and most successful year with more people attending coffee mornings, more trips for families and individuals, more tea parties and help for our Ukrainian refugee guests in Harpenden.
The Home Visits team has been busy with around 60-70 calls a month.
Our Wellbeing and Befriending teams have been extremely busy this year with the growing numbers of residents requiring our support. The next three months will see our Christmas Parcel and Utilities grant team spring into action to support our older residents whilst our Seniors Fair Team starting to plan the 2023 Fair (4 April 2023).
Senior Outings, with invaluable support from the Transport Team, has been very active. The Jubilee Tea Party took place at the Town Hall on Friday, 10 June. The event was a huge success with over 70 Clients enjoying a fantastic tea and entertainment. The ever-popular Boat Trip (affectionately known as the ‘Fish and Chip Boat’) sailed in June with 36 Clients enjoying sunshine and food whilst the Westcliff-on-sea trip for lunch and sea air took place in August. Two Tea Parties were held this summer, in late July and early September, with over 80 clients enjoying food, entertainment and good company as well as entertainment from two amazing choirs.
Party bookings at the Trust Halls have resumed with gusto with little availability left before the October half-term and many bookings already in the calendar for November and beyond. However, we are battling with increased running costs and have had to increase the Hall charges as a consequence.
‘Care Your Way’, a new care company operating in Hertfordshire, held an afternoon tea fundraiser at the Halls in August and drew a crowd who all thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Local companies had donated lots of prizes for the raffle presided over by the Town Mayor. Nick Luckett, Chair of the Care Fund, with be receiving a cheque for £214, the proceeds of the raffle.
The Wellbeing Hub continues to accept clients on referral from a GP/Social Prescriber. The Wellbeing Friends are currently in contact with 33 clients. In the past quarter there have been 25 new referrals whilst 34 referrals have been successfully concluded. The initiative offers support to identified groups who would benefit from wellbeing activities such as the Mind walks, yoga, mindfulness and exercise classes for the older and less mobile.
Attendance is growing at The Frazzled Cafe and there has been much positive feedback. New facilitators are being trained and further sessions are planned. The Memory Lane Café is a great success and is now so popular it has moved to the larger hall at the Salvation Army, our partner in this venture and with additional support from the Town Council. There have been craft sessions, African drumming, singing, flower arranging and talks from Admiral nurses and Citizens Advice. The ‘Arts on Prescription’ initiative has been another great success. The first course has completed and the second is now underway.
We undertook a Family Outing to Wicksteed Park in August. We had some lovely thank you notes from our Clients. We would certainly use this venue again - it has something for everyone and is good value for money.
The coffee mornings continue to be popular with numbers increasing at both venues; 30 plus on Tuesdays and 18 on Thursdays.
The Transport Team have been busy. The regular coffee morning transport continues as usual whilst July, August and September have been occupied with the Senior Outings trip and two more Tea Parties; a total of 60 clients transported to those events and including use of the ‘Hopper’ bus for the tea parties. We continue to manage other ad hoc requests.
Nick Luckett, Chair, Care Fund
28 September 2022
