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116 PLANNING FOR LATER LIFE FOR ALL! FUN
Pupils of Bishop Chavasse Primary School in Tonbridge joined their friends at Barnes Lodge Residential Care Home for some classic fun and games, where they spent the morning together, playing games such as ping pong, feed the shark, quoits and doing some colouring in. After such a fun-filled morning, some much-needed refreshments were enjoyed by all, with tea, squash and cakes shared in the activities lounge. The schoolchildren have been visiting the residents for over a year now, popping in every other week to catch up and often learning about something new together. Previous visits have included celebrating Chinese New Year by making Chinese lanterns and learning all about space, and making space-themed mobiles. Kay Hawkins, activities
coordinator at Barnes Lodge in Tonbridge, said: “There is a huge difference in our residents when the children visit. Their faces just light up when they arrive and some of the residents actually stand at the window waiting for them in the morning. They absolutely adore them and get so much out of these visits, it really is wonderful to see and be a part of.” • Visit
rapporthousingandcare.co.uk
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New scheme brightening local lives
Local people are feeling less lonely and better-supported thanks to a scheme being trialled by the NHS in West Kent, in partnership with the charity Involve Kent.
Over the last six months, five social
prescribing link workers have been placed in five GP practices in West Kent as part of Involve Kent’s Connect for Wellbeing scheme.
The five GP practices taking part in the pilot scheme include: • The Vine Medical Centre (Maidstone) • Marden Medical Centre (Tonbridge) • Borough Green Medical Practice (Sevenoaks)
• Snodland Medical Practice (Snodland)
• St Andrews Medical Centre (Southborough)
Specialist staff and volunteers are available to help patients with social, emotional or practical needs by helping them to connect with groups or activities that appeal to them – reducing social isolation and getting people more active.
The link workers also liaise closely with staff in the district and borough councils and local Citizens Advice Bureau to make sure that anyone whose health has been affected by practical problems, such as housing and debt, can get the help they need more quickly.
Lifeline for the lonely saved at 11th hour
A luxury retirement housing provider has stepped into to save a charity service for almost 200 elderly and lonely people in the Maidstone area from collapse. West Kent Befriending Service manager
Wendy Pfeiffer and her part-time assistant Diane Bromley (pictured right) had been issued with redundancy notices when Inspired Villages, developers of the Ledian Garden in Leeds, Kent, stepped in to help. The company was offered a cash injection of almost £10,000 to keep the service afloat until July 2020, while talks take place with
Age UK Maidstone on forming a long- term survival plan. Inspired Villages, which has the long- term financial backing of Legal & General, first came into contact with WKBS when it sponsored a video to mark the charity’s five-year anniversary earlier this year. As well as providing a volunteer visiting service to people in their own homes, WKBS organises monthly coffee mornings and a monthly “talking bus” service, supported by local bus operator Arriva.
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