Lunch club membership soars after TV star's launch

A lunch club has been inundated with calls for membership after the star of a hit comedy TV show helped launch a £20 million programme for older people in Wales.

Age Concern Neath Port Talbot say the phone has been ringing hot after Margaret John of Gavin and Stacey fame launched the Big Lottery Fund’s (BIG) £20 million AdvantAGE programme in June. The programme aims to improve the quality of life for older people in Wales by reducing social isolation and developing support services to empower them.

To celebrate the launch, Margaret, best recognised for her portrayal of the much loved Elsie "Mam" Hepplewhite in the BBC Wales comedy, High Hopes, joined a group of older people at the Aberavon Beach Hotel who attend a regular lunch club organised by the Age Concern group. Margaret saw the positive impact the lottery-funded ‘Promoting Independence through Neighbourliness Project’ has on their lives and shared her experiences of life as a pensioner in the limelight. Now membership has grown with unprecedented speed, with more than 50 new members in a month.

And this good news comes as BIG, working with Age Cymru and the Women’s Royal Voluntary Service, prepares to launch a campaign on Wednesday August 4 at the National Eisteddfod (11:30am at the Big Lottery Fund stand 815-816) in Blaenau Gwent which aims to encourage more people to become befrienders. At the event, people will be invited to take a pack of postcards urging them to sign up.

Delighted with the response, Dean Richards, Project manager for Age Concern Neath Port Talbot, said: "Because of the response from all the media coverage about AdvantAGE and Margaret John we’ve had to double the number of sessions we offer. It’s fantastic news because some of our members who live alone haven’t come out to socialise for years and felt isolated but now they come out a couple times a week and make the most of other activities on offer like day trips and talks."

He added: "I think anything that raises the profile of befriending, like the postcards, are a good idea because it encourages more people to get involved."

Just over 1 million (11%) of people aged 65 or over in the UK say they are always or often feel lonely* and nearly half of all older people (about 4.6 million) consider the television as their main form of company**. These people are more at risk of depression and ill-health caused by isolation and loneliness.

Other statistics from Age Cymru reveal there are only 19 services across Wales which specifically provide advocacy to older people. This equates to one paid advocate per 35,000 older people in Wales***.

In response, the £20 million AdvantAGE programme is the largest strategic investment to be launched by BIG in Wales and is designed to improve the quality of life and fill gaps in service provision for older people over 50 by:

• reducing loneliness, improving confidence and increasing wellbeing and social interaction through the funding of befriending projects;
• and taking action through developing support services to empower older people by securing their rights, representing their interests and obtaining the services they need.

Big Lottery Fund Wales Committee Member and Chair of the AdvantAGE Programme Committee, Fran Targett, said: "Wales has a higher proportion of older people over 50 than any other country in the UK. Many older people view ageing as an opportunity and an exciting new life chapter. For others, however, older age brings challenges which, without support, can be daunting and lead to social isolation and loneliness.

"Social isolation can be a risk for older people facing life transitions such as retirement, bereavement and long-term illness. Our extensive research with key organisations which provide services for older people identified this as a key area where we could make a positive difference and that’s why we are making up to £20 million available to tackle social isolation and loneliness to improve older people’s wellbeing and quality of life."

The AdvantAGE programme will make grants of between £200,000 and £1 million available for projects running for between three to five years to voluntary organisations. The closing date for applications is Friday 29 October 2010.

For further information, please visit www.biglotteryfund.org.uk and use the ‘Wales’ specific search facility. To download the freepost befriending postcards visit www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/prog_advantage_postcards.pdf