Community receives a warm welcome from Elmbridge Together

Activities include the Monday Lunch Club which welcomes residents on Mondays between 10am and 2pm at Lonsdale Road Community Hall. It offers a range of activities including a two-course meal for a donation of £3 in the Lonsdale Lounge, a healthy, hot balanced meal that not everyone may be able to have at home.

The chance to stay, have lunch and take part in an activity provides Elmbridge Together with an opportunity to identify individuals who may need further support and advice, and allows them to signpost people to other organisations who can help.

Thriving Communities Grant funding has enabled Elmbridge Together to increase the range of activities available including yoga, music and arts groups as well as adult learning courses, at venues including Longlevens Community Centre, Longlevens Village Hall, and Lonsdale Road Community Hall. The group aims to support residents to socialise and work together to do things which matter to them. This approach has increased involvement from the community and many participants go on to join the group of dedicated volunteers.

They have recently introduced Chair Yoga which helps with the development of balance, coordination and staying active, all of which helps to prevent falls.

Elmbridge Food Hub distributes food packages, provides support to families and offers food classes. The grant funding has enabled them to expand and improve their facilities, and four kitchen volunteers have attended a food hygiene course.

The reasons people attend are varied. Steven has been coming for a year. He enjoys coffee mornings and lunches, and he was taking part in activities to lose weight while he was waiting for a hip replacement. He’s now had his successful operation and continuing to attend.

Carole, who has dementia, attends with her daughter who is a carer. Carole does activities including chair yoga, coffee and lunches, which gives her daughter a break from her caring responsibilities.

John was recently widowed and suffers from back problems. Chair yoga helps him with his mobility and coffee and lunches provide an opportunity for him to socialise and meet people.

Elmbridge Together work closely with partners including local churches, FareShare South-West, Gloucestershire Carers Hub, Active Gloucestershire, the Community Building Collective, the NHS Falls team and others.