Morning Gransnetters 
Age UK Lincoln will be in Lincoln City Square on Friday 27th September to give the local community a taste of what services and activities the charity offers.
Free to attend, the bi-annual, family-friendly day is open to everyone from 10am until 3pm.
Examples of the charity’s local offerings will be on display, such as keep fit classes with tutor Anne Rust, Zumba Gold tutorials with Stacey Marriott, delicious free scones made in Age UK Lincoln’s restaurant and money-off vouchers to use at Age UK Lincoln’s Park Street Activity Centre.
Day Support Services Manager Rosie Davidson said: “Some people think that attending an Age UK centre can have a certain stigma attached to it, but we want to show that this just isn’t the case. Our range of fun activities, clubs, classes and services are all-inclusive, easily accessible and a huge part of many people’s social lives.”
Age UK Lincoln will be offering the over-50s an EON-funded, free home energy check or free winter warmer pack to help provide extra comfort to older people during the upcoming winter months.
All of the charity’s departments will be represented on the day, including Home Support Services, Personal Care and Volunteer Department, as well as the new Social Outreach Centres. Other representatives attending on the day are; First Contact, an Age UK Lincoln and Lincolnshire County Council joint initiative that provides a one-stop gateway to many essential services; Carers’ Connect; St Barnabas Hospice; and The Alzheimer’s Society.
Rosie added: “We aim to provide advice on absolutely everything that could affect our customers in their day-to-day lives. If we don’t immediately know the answer, we will find out who does. It’s important to us that our customers feel that they can ask us anything.”
People will also be able to chat to representatives from Lincoln City Health, who will be on hand to give free checks on blood pressure, grip strength, BMI and general health to members of the public.
Every week the Park Street centre welcomes over 1,800 customers through its doors for classes, friendship clubs, socialising and advice on day-to-day or specialist issues. The centre also has its own subsidised restaurant, complementary therapies and computer suite.
The premises are currently being modernised and the head office staff will be relocated from Sixfield Close to a new extension of the centre.
So far, funding has been raised through the sale of the current Age UK Lincoln head office and through a grant of £200,000 from the Bradbury Foundation. The rest has come from the charity’s own reserves.
However, there are still many aspects of the build that Age UK Lincoln doesn’t yet have funding for, such as a new roof and a new boiler. The missing items are vital to the comfort and wellbeing of the centre’s 1,800 weekly customers.
For those interested in Age UK Lincoln’s services, a number of staff will be on hand throughout the day to answer any questions and give information on a number of topics, including specialist insurance and pensions advice for the over 50s.
Good Morning Tuesday 16th April 2024
