Sponsored by
Leeds elderly care charity’s £30,000 Comic Relief boost
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE: Cherril Cliff, manager of the Caring Together charity, in her office at Holborn Court, Woodhouse.
From its base in a tiny flat in a sheltered housing complex, Caring Together in Woodhouse and Little London provides support for hundreds of older people.
But despite its humble office space, the charity has become one of just two in Leeds to be chosen to receive £30,000 from Comic Relief over the next two years.
The money from the Comic Relief Large Grants Programme, managed by Leeds Community Foundation, will fund weekly ‘Keep Moving, Keep Fit’ classes for around 50 older members.
The grant will also support the charity’s men’s club, which meets fortnightly for dominoes, social time and outings.
Manager Cherril Cliff, who runs the charity’s office at Holborn Court in Woodhouse, said: “The funding will safeguard the future of four weekly activity groups and includes the cost of door-to-door disabled transport, room hire and fees for a qualified fitness trainer.
“We know that our healthy living groups help older people avoid falls, fractures and hospital admissions and also create opportunities for friendship and support among group members.”
The ‘Keep Moving, Keep Fit’ classes are held on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, with around 15 older ladies gathering at the Jubilee Club in Woodhouse for the class every Tuesday.
The ages of members range from Myrna Rutledge, who is 64, to Alice Moore, who is 88 – but all the ladies, no matter what their age, say the classes are an important part of their week.
Ann Shaw, 67, said: “If Caring Together wasn’t in Woodhouse, we wouldn’t have anything, we’d just have to make our own entertainment.
“We wouldn’t have the chance to get together and have groups or meetings.”
Betty Lowe, 81, added: “The groups are very important to us; it means we get together and make friends.”
The charity is usually based in Woodhouse Community Centre but moved into Holborn Court in March last year to make way for a major refurbishment.
The group, which has been working with pensioners in Woodhouse and Little London since 1995, hopes to return to the community centre later this year.
As well as the exercise groups, the charity has a ‘Memoirs’ group for people with dementia, runs an intergenerational computer project with Leeds Metropolitan University and the City of Leeds High School and organises days out.
For more information, visit: www.caringtogether.org.uk or call 0113 242 0441.
Email to a friend
Print this page- Politics: Mark Hookham's Westminster blog - 5.33pm
- Castleford RSPB Fairburn Ings: High wire act Swallows’ summer parade
- Worker dies on North Yorkshire Moors Railway
- Video: Restaurant reopens on Leeds Harry Ramsden’s site after £500,000 refit
- Chocolat author will tempt guests at Leeds Big Bookend Festival
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Leeds
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 10 C to 25 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: East
Your view
Please sign in to be able to comment on this story.