NEWS

Kind-hearted crafters are being asked to whip out their pens and seal some envelopes as part of a charity plan to cut loneliness in Wetherby. Wetherby in Support of the Elderly’s (WiSE) ‘Send A Smile’ scheme aims to cut feelings of isolation and loneliness by asking people to spare 10 minutes to send an older person some handmade post. The charity has launched the initiative as part of its wider efforts to support older people in Wetherby and its surrounding villages- with loneliness known to contribute to many other health related issues. WiSE’s Melody Mills, Send a Smile scheme coordinator,…

Wetherby in Support of the Elderly (WiSE) is a small local charity which aims to improve quality of life for the over 60s by providing community based activities, information, help and support. In a completely unprecedented time for everybody, WISE had to quickly step forward to deliver a whole range of new services to support not just the over 60s, but also people shielding and vulnerable due to the onset of the pandemic. Here, Mark Dobson, Chief Operating Officer at WiSE reflects on the last two years, and tells how stepping up during the pandemic has made the charity stronger…

Many isolated, older people in Bramham dined in style this Christmas, thanks to a massive community effort by villagers. Kind-hearted volunteers and generous contributors combined to stage the festive village hall lunch for older people who would otherwise have spent Christmas Day alone. A further 40 hampers were hand delivered to people in the community whose personal circumstances mean they are socially isolated for much of the year. The mammoth loneliness busting effort was organised by Bramham Village Hall Committee, who hailed the heart-warming messages of thanks their volunteers received as testament to the impact they’ve made. Pete Dunn, Vice…

There is a lot being reported in the national news currently about the upcoming rise in energy costs. For anyone concerned with heating costs, changing tariff, searching for funding for boiler repair/replacement and insulation and energy saving measures we have various sources of support to refer and signpost to agencies for people living in Wetherby and surrounding and villages. Home Plus Leeds is a comprehensive initiative provided by Leeds Home Improvement Agency Care and repair working in partnership with Age UK Leeds and Groundwork NEWY. – https://care-repair-leeds.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Home-Plus-2020.pdf Groundwork Green Doctor has a dedicated helpline – 0113 2380601 – and sign…

A charity funded culinary campaign to get kitchen-shy older men cooking has issued a final call for sign-ups. Wetherby in Support of the Elderly (WiSE) is working with Wetherby Man with a Pan to (MWAP) to deliver the course for men aged 50 or over- with just one more place available. The programme gets underway in February and sees experienced cook Lesley Titchmarsh deliver kitchen training to men who lack basic cooking skills- boosting their physical, social and mental wellbeing at the same time. Jennifer Siswick, Volunteer Coordinator for Wetherby MWAP, said: “Our last course of MWAP took place in…