Connections make the world go round….

Connections make the world go round……

Coronation Afternoon Tea at St Paul’s on 6 May. A big table of Jigsaw Homes Orchard Court tenants there with quite a few from the Seated Exercise to Music class; 4 Carlton Strong and Steady crew members; and a former Crew member from St George’s in Netherfield and probably about 5 from the Carlton Community Hub’s Friendship Club. And lots of others – 60 plus maybe? Most people in their 70s and 80s. Many had come with others. The Fab Two were regaling the assembled company with their Beatles tunes – now the Orchard Court crew are interested in having them at their Christmas shindig….

Met up with the PICS SPLW – she’s worked in a different part of the county with APT lead Helen Davis and as a SPLW also on one of the Together Funded projects with a local voluntary group – now in Gedling – I linked her in with Gedling Adult Social Care, and the Jigsaw Homes Neighbourhood Development Officer and have just met her again on a community engagement group set up by the PCN.

And also on this meeting was the AgeUK Notts lead SPLW – who I met last week along with her team. I linked them in with the local Adult Social Care Community Care Officers and Promoting Independence Worker, gave them information about the local strength and balance classes and also linked the SPLW based at the QMC with the wider strength and balance provider network. The SPLW lead has now emailed me with details about the next Talking Space.

I’ve also suggested another couple of people to attend this community engagement group – the Operations Manager of Connect Health who I met back in December and the Community Care Navigators who I met last week.

I went to Park House Health Centre to meet the CCNs. useful to walk around the centre looking at the various health and wellbeing stands – could we advertise activities and events there? And met up with the communty physios and district nurses who i used to work with as a SPLW. Linked them in with social care, strength and balance classes etc.

Attended the Armed Forces’ Breakfast Club:
One of the attendees is evolving as the natural leader – welcoming new attendees, helping them to integrate. This is being appreciated as evidenced by some thank you messages on the Facebook page. She had set up the Facebook page for the group, advertising it and also rearranged the timing so it didn’t clash with the West Bridgford group.
One of the new attendees is someone I know from St James Church in Mapperley and St Paul’s Men in Sheds; another knows someone from St Paul’s and also my Falls Prevention classes; another is the sister of someone I play tennis with and, bereaved 3 years ago and new to Nottingham, she joined the U3A, initially on eating/drinking groups, but she is now doing the activities – croquet, pétanque etc – it sounds like she is doing something with them nearly every day and it has really helped to make new friends and have a focus for what could have been really lonely weeks in a new city. Incidentally I know some of the U3A convenors through Book Club and Falls Prevention classes – super connectors. And I also met the boss of one of the attendees’ sisters who works at a care home in Arnold and would be interested in me doing a seated exercise to music session there

Carlton Hill Community Action Group
I’ve now joined the committee of the Carlton Hill Community Action Group. Sam, one of the Age UK Notts SPLWs, is also on the committee as is a local shop owner ( I spoke to his wife when Suzy and I did our AFC walkabout). Three’s a very vibrant WhatsApp group!
We’ll be able to promote the Age Friendly Carlton work on the group’s facebook page as well as the Benchmapping walks and green psace work and anything else we get involved in.
And we can now post details of what the Carlton Community Hub at Carlton Hill Methodist Church do – this used to be considered out of area so is a big step forward