Service description
UPG are awarded funding to deliver the e Service.
The service will include the following:
- Weekly tea clubs with a programme of guest speakers and practical activities with local visits and summer outings and celebration lunches.
- A home visiting service offering companionship, in the home help, information and access to other services, reading and administrative assistance, escorting, and help with other small everyday tasks.
- Health and fitness activities at the Masbro Centre and advice on how to keep active with low exertion activity
- Guidance on healthy living through a balanced diet and access to Masbro cultural cuisine sessions.
- Information and advice on keeping warm in winter and hydrated in summer. Educational activities as part of the tea club
- Information and assistance in managing finance through support by H&FCAB.
Funded until
30 September 2023
Annual funding level
£43,000
In the past year
Our Volunteer Befriending Service has delivered 834 visits/telephone calls to elders in the community. (In person visits to by our volunteer Befrienders have been suspended since March 18th, the onset of the government Covid-19 lockdown).
Number of residents supported
Over 500
Use of volunteers
The service’s 100 volunteers delivered 7800 hours of work. This is the equivalent to £84,630 if the London Living Wage is applied to the volunteering hours. This is across UPG’s three grant funded projects.
Outcomes being achieved
- 1,079 food parcels delivered to housebound elders, including 50 Christmas hampers
- 172 personal shopping trips undertaken this year for housebound elders.
- 583 elders attended 53 zoom sessions delivered including; Healthy Eating, Advice & Information (Tech, Banking, Energy Bills, Wills), Arts & Crafts, baking, seated to standing yoga, pilates, dance sessions, singing, poetry, drama workshops, wellbeing, quizzes and concerts. These zoom sessions have been delivered in partnership with H&FCAB, UK Harvest, Age UK, amongst others and professional drama, art, music and exercise practitioners.
- The service completed 183 hours of casework for elders in the community.
- 1,420 welfare calls made in the past year.
- 64 referrals handled including requests for; food parcels, medication delivery, Befriending, mental health services, Tech assistance
Funding raised
£430,000 for UPG – benefitting all three grant funded projects
Future plans
- Recruitment drive for volunteer Befrienders
- Reinstate in-person Tea Club programme as soon as allowed.
- Pursue funding to re-start weekly art and craft sessions
- Joint funding bid to establish weekly drama workshops
- Reinstate in-person singing group