P R E S S R E L E A S E
For immediate release
20th December 2018
FUNDS BOOST TO TACKLE ISOLATION AND LONELINESS FACING OLDER PEOPLE IN HAMPSHIRE
Grants totaling £8,650 have been awarded to 17 community groups across Hampshire for a range of local projects designed to help older people who are susceptible to social isolation and loneliness, including those who have lost friends, family, mobility or income.
The grants are administered by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Community Foundation (HIWCF), working closely with Hampshire County Council who set the criteria for the awards.
Grant Cornwell MBE,Chief Executive of HIWCF said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Hampshire County Council on the Business Supporting Older People Fund, to help reduce social isolation and disadvantage for older people, an issue that the Foundation is particularly keen to support. I would also like to thank our HIWCF supporters who have generously donated additional funds to this cause, this round of grant funding demonstrates how a small amount of money can make a huge difference to people’s lives.”
Groups receiving a grant are as follows:
| Group Awarded Grant | Area |
| Dummer Coffee Morning Group | Basingstoke and Deane |
| Sycamore Halls Community Association | Basingstoke and Deane |
| Kingsclere Community Association | Basingstoke and Deane |
| Alton Community Association | East Hampshire |
| Orchard House Residents Group | East Hampshire |
| Liphook Day Centre | East Hampshire |
| Chandlers Ford Men’s Shed | Eastleigh |
| SoCo Music Project | Fareham |
| Brendoncare Club Hampshire | Gosport |
| Portsdown Community Church (The Beacon)(Havant Community Church) | Havant |
| Fordingbridge & District Day Centre for the Frail and Housebound | New Forest |
| Rae Straton Lunch Club/Day Care | New Forest |
| Vine Drop-in Centre | Rushmoor |
| Brendoncare Club Hampshire | Rushmoor |
| Rushmoor Healthy Living (RHL) | Rushmoor |
| Test Valley Live at Home Scheme | Test Valley |
| Swanmore Voluntary Care Group Lunch Club | Winchester |
The grants are designed to help older people living in Hampshire to access services and encourage them to join up and participate in local community clubs, activities and events. Grants have been awarded to support initiatives including lunch clubs, music sessions, cheerleading groups, coffee mornings, refurbishment of an existing men’s shed and also towards the purchase of a new shed to provide a suitable base for a Men’s Shed group in Chandlers Ford to expand their membership.
The Hampshire & Isle of Wight Community Foundation (HIWCF) is an independent charitable trust established to inspire local giving for local need. The Foundation works both with donors who want to give something back to their local communities and voluntary groups providing vital services for local people where often a few hundred pounds can make a real difference to people’s lives. Companies, individuals, families and trusts can establish a fund with the Foundation, which supports a growing programme of grant-making to communities. For more information, please go to www.hiwcf.com.Note To Editors:
Test Valley Live at Home Scheme – Andover/North Baddesley, Southampton have received a £500 grant to help them continue to run their weekly Cheerleading Club aimed at people aged 60 and over. Each dance is choreographed and led by an instructor to be appropriate for all levels of fitness and ability and sessions run for two hours to enable socialising before and after the class. According to the statistics of our research company, it was revealed that there are diseases and symptoms when Cialis is prohibited. They include excessive sensitivity, both to the active substance tadalafil, and to other ingredients of the drug; if a man has experienced a myocardial infarction or stroke; signs of life-threatening arrhythmia; uncontrolled forms of hypertension, hypotension (high and low blood pressure); priapism; unstable forms of angina. Read more at https://blog.jobmedic.co.uk/cheap-generic-cialis.
Natasha Haji is the Community Fundraiser for the Test Valley Live at Home Scheme and she commented “Many of our members have felt lonely and are isolated due to living a fair distance away from family and friends and sometimes lack the confidence and support to leave their own homes. The Cheerleading Club offers our members an opportunity to increase their general fitness which in turn reduces the sense of isolation that can lead to illness and depression. Getting involved in social activities is known to have many physical and mental health benefits including improved social well-being and confidence levels while in the long term can reduce calls on statutory services through enabling older people to maintain their independence and remain living safely in their own homes.”
Give it a go! Join the Cheerleaders at the Baptist Church in North Baddesley on Monday mornings at 10am, or at Andover Leisure Centre on Wednesday mornings at 10.30am.
Portsdown Community Church, Havant has been awarded a grant of £175 to purchase activities and games for older and less mobile members to enjoy during the active coffee morning for seniors’ sessions that run every week.
Ruth Scott, Manager for Portsdown Community Church said “This grant will help us to provide an enjoyable means of sociable interaction with others for those who are mostly single, widowed or lonely. We tend to find that conversation flows more easily when taking part in activities such as table tennis and skittles, which are adapted for those who are less mobile. Some of our games are particularly suitable for those with memory loss and other activities are designed to stimulate the brain and encourage conversation. The benefit to our group from this grant will be long-term and will also help us to encourage new members to come along and join us.”
For further information, please contact:
Lucy Sweet, Marketing Manager, HIWCF
01256 776116 / lucy@hiwcf.com
