NEWS

A small Wetherby charity which has packed a massive punch during the pandemic is creating a new role to help extend its work. Wetherby in Support of the Elderly (WiSE) is expanding its small team of paid staff by employing a fundraising and volunteer coordinator, who will bring in extra money and help to oversee the incredible work of its army of volunteer heroes. The charity desperately wants the right person to come forward for the role, after a year which has put the vital role it plays in supporting isolated, older people in Wetherby and surrounding villages firmly in…

A charity on the frontline of helping isolated older people in Wetherby during the pandemic has revealed the full breadth of its work, as it reflects on a year’s activity since the UK’s first lockdown. Wetherby in Support of the Elderly (WiSE) has made nearly 5,000 wellbeing calls to people shielding alone, delivered 15 editions of activity packs to keep more than 100 older people entertained and organised dozens of online sessions from line dancing to singing to keep spirits high. An unprecedented 12 months for the charity also saw its army of volunteers and tiny team of paid staff…

Wetherby in Support of the Elderly (WiSE) is offering free online tutorials to older people who need help taking part in this year’s census. WiSE is offering the virtual sessions to help people complete the once-in-a-decade survey, which every household in the country must submit by 4 May. The event will be hosted by an expert from Census 2021 and includes a short tutorial on the census process and an explanation on how to use the census website to complete the survey question by question. Participants can choose to complete their forms simultaneously or immediately afterwards if they prefer. WiSE…

A Wetherby older persons’ charity has begun making plans to reopen a much loved café lifeline for older people. Wetherby in Support of the Elderly (WiSE) says it is tentatively preparing for a June reopening in line with the Government’s roadmap – provided Covid-19 cases and hospitalisations continue to fall. The charity’s three day-a-week WiSE Owl Café in Boston Spa offered a safe space to socialise for dozens of isolated older people- but was forced to shut its doors when the pandemic first hit last year. WiSE Chief Operating Officer Mark Dobson, said: “Like so many people, we’re extremely cautious…

A Wetherby charity boss is setting a dashing example he wants others to follow, by signing up for the town’s 10k race to raise vital funds for older people. Mark Dobson says Wetherby in Support of the Elderly (WiSE) desperately needs more runners to raise money for the charity to help plug a fundraising shortfall. The plea follows a year in which the charity has delivered unprecedented levels of support to older people across Wetherby and surrounding villages, but in which many supporters have had to cancel their usual fundraising activities. Mark, Chief Operating Officer at WiSE, said: “The Wetherby…