Wales & West Housing donates more than £35,000 to help

A charity which helps older people in Wales to stay active and feel less isolated has been given a £35,000 funding boost thanks to staff from Wales & West Housing.

The housing provider donated a record total of £35,402.90 to Age Cymru to help in its goal to connect older people and combat loneliness.

The money was raised by WWH's 400 staff members over two years of fundraising with regular raffles, bake sales, dress down days and pennies donated from pay. Fundraising special events such as a sponsored Ride the Nation charity cycling challenge from North to South Wales and a rugby tournament, supported by former Welsh rugby players, helped to take the total to record levels.

Age Cymru provides a range of activities such as Tai Chi, Nordic Walking, low impact training sessions and the annual Gwanwyn Festival of Arts and Creativity. It also runs advice and support services including a bilingual information and advice line which, last year alone, helped older people claim more than £6.5m in entitlements.

Wales & West Housing's Group Chief Executive, Anne Hinchey, visited a Tai Chi group at the Pier Pavilion, Penarth, to see how the activities delivered by Age Cymru are helping older people to connect.

She said: "At Wales & West Housing we provide homes for 22,000 people across Wales and almost one in five of our residents are over 65. When our staff voted on the charity they wanted to support, Age Cymru was a clear winner.

The charity is doing a fantastic job to make sure that as people grow older they don't miss out on the social activities they enjoy. With activities like Tai Chi and Nordic walking the emphasis is just as much on socialising as it is on improving physical health. Through its range of campaigns it makes sure that the voices of older people in Wales are heard when it comes to the decisions that affect them."

Age Cymru's Chief Executive, Victoria Lloyd said: "We are extremely grateful to the staff of Wales & West Housing for their fantastic fundraising efforts resulting in such a hugely generous gift to support our work in creating an age friendly Wales.

"One of the key steps along the road to an age friendly Wales is connecting people to help combat the loneliness and isolation which is said to affect more than one in four older people in Wales.

"There are many reasons why older people become lonely. As people retire they may lose contact with colleagues, while others become lonely through bereavement. Poor health and financial hardship can also keep older people trapped in their homes. While cuts to local services such as bus routes, libraries, and day centres have compounded the problem.

"Much of our work is aimed at enabling older people to participate in their communities and to enjoy the companionship of others."

In the last 14 years WWH staff have raised more than £140,000 for a number of charities including Cancer Research Wales, Stroke Association, Help For Heroes, Alzheimer's Society, NSPCC, Tenovus and Wales Air Ambulance and Guide Dogs. The staff are currently fundraising for Mind Cymru.

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For all media enquiries, please contact PR & Marketing Officer Alison Stokes on: 02920 415368 or 07484 911100 or email alison.stokes@wwha.co.uk

Notes to the editor:

Wales & West Housing has around 12,000 properties across Wales providing quality, affordable homes for more than 22,000 people.

Established in 1965, WWH employs more than 400 staff, and works in 15 local authorities (Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Merthyr Tydfil, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Swansea, Vale of Glamorgan, Wrexham) making it one of the largest housing associations in Wales. It has a head office in Llanishen, Cardiff, and it has offices in Newcastle Emlyn, West Wales and Ewloe, North Wales.

Wales & West Housing Association Limited is registered in England and Wales with charitable rules and is a registered society under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014 No. 21114R.

Find out more at www.wwha.co.uk

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