Friday Friends
| Published: 12th November 2007 11:09 |
THE DAYS AND WEEKS CAN BE VERY LONG AND LONELY............
if through bereavement, limited mobility or poor health you find yourself alone and/or unable to leave your home as often as you would wish. That is why fourteen years ago a group of local volunteers started Friday Friends to offer villagers from Shenstone, Stonnall and Little Aston, over the age of 60, who found themselves in such a position the opportunity to get out and the chance to meet others of their own age group.
Friday Friends meet on Friday every week in the Shenstone Village Hall from 11 am. We start with morning coffee (or tea!) and finish at approx. 3 pm, following afternoon tea (or coffee!). A two course lunch is prepared from fresh ingredients, cooked on the premises and served at 12.30 pm, after which there is a varied programme of activities ranging from demonstrations, presentations, bingo, craft and even keep-fit (you will be amazed how much of that one can do, whilst still sitting in an armchair and dressed in day clothes!). This programme is reviewed regularly in line with the wishes and interests of the members.
The Shenstone Village Hall is fully accessible to wheelchairs. Transport to and from the hall is made available to those who need it, as are qualified care assistants for members who are in need of more personal assistance. The cost for the day, covering lunch, refreshments and entertainment is £5.50 (£4.50 for those not requiring transport). In addition, we run an optional raffle. Shenstone Friends are a registered charity and are independent from Shenstone Cares for it's funding and administration. We are staffed almost entirely by volunteers.
At present we have room for a limited number of new members, male or female. If you think you might like to join us, you may initially wish to come for a trial day just to confirm to yourself that you would enjoy regular attendance. However, before doing so, please contact us, so we can adjust our catering numbers accordingly and arrange for your transport, if required. We could also, beforehand, put you in telephone touch with one of the existing members, so you can have the opportunity to chat to them about their experiences of the day.
Although we currently have a good number of regular volunteers, we always welcome contact with anyone willing and able to help the Friday Friends with their general tasks during the day, including drivers for our two small busses, who would only be required for the morning and afternoon time slots. Volunteers need not commit themselves for every week, or even the whole day's session. It is important for us to have a pool of possible helpers throughout the year on which we can call during holiday periods or in the event of illness. Through our volunteers' combined and continued efforts our Friday Friends members have to date never yet found our doors closed on a Friday (other than because of icy weather!) and of course it is our aim to keep this record up in the years to come.
So, if you are interested in joining Friday Friends, either as a member or a volunteer, please telephone any of the following:-
Margaret Ward 01543 480 602
Sheila Holland 01543 480 777
Rosemary Crawley 01543 263 970
NB Other regular activities for the elderly in the area include the monthly Tuesday pop-in lunch, shopping trips, a coffee morning and pub visits. For further information on these please check the list of Village Activities on the inside cover of the monthly Shenstone Magazine or read more about Shenstone Cares here.
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