To receive a presentation on the work of Surrey Heath Age Concern.
Minutes:
Gill Gibson, Charles Barbor and Reverend Christopher Russell, gave a presentation in respect of the work of Surrey Heath Age Concern.
The Group’s main objective was to enhance the lives of older people living in the Surrey Heath area. This was done through three main activities: a visiting and befriending service, the provision of the Rainbow Café in Camberley and Tea and Chatter sessions. The organisation’s costs amounted to approximately £50,000 a year of which £10,000 was received as a revenue grant from Surrey Heath Borough Council. The charity employed three part-time members of staff working a total of 38 hours a week.
The Visiting and Befriending Service used a network of 43 volunteers to provide companionship and reassurance to older people living in the Borough. Volunteer befrienders were carefully matched with their older person and received training before they started making visits. Volunteers were expected to make at least one one hour visit a week to the person they were matched with and visits could be made at any mutually agreed time including evenings and weekends. In addition to providing companionship, befrienders also fed any concerns that they might have back to Age Concern to ensure that problems were dealt with appropriately. This service was provided free of charge.
The Rainbow Café in Camberley town centre was run by a part-time manager supported by volunteers. It was reported that the café currently managed to cover its costs and since its refurbishment in 2015 the café had seen an increase in customers and the café’s income this year was currently 31% ahead of what it had been at the same point in 2016. In addition to providing food and drink the café also offered vulnerable people a safe space in which they could volunteer.
In May 2015, monthly Tea and Chatter sessions were set up to enable older
people to socialise on Sunday’s and help counter-act loneliness and isolation. Since the initiative had started over 1000 guests had attended one of the weekly tea parties.
Work was underway to convert the organisation into a Charitable Incorporated Group. The change, on 1st April 2018, would turn Surrey Heath Age Concern into legal not for profit organisation and give its trustees a greater degree of security. As part of this change it would be necessary to change the Rainbow Café’s lease which had another five years left to run and the possibility of extending the lease would be explored with the Council’s Corporate Property Team.
The Committee thanks Surrey Heath Age Concern for their presentation and congratulated the organisation on the progress that it had made in recent years.