A KIND-HEARTED project which aims to ensure elderly and vulnerable city residents don’t feel lonely is going from strength to strength.
Former Worcester Mayor Coun Alan Amos has revealed his ‘Come on In’ project would continue to develop around the city following the end of his year in office.
Last year, Coun Amos highlighted the plight of the elderly and vulnerable who are also very lonely people throughout the city.
And last Thursday, the Warndon councillor attended a lunch at St Wulstan’s Church in his ward, the first Come on In project to have been set up.
During the lunch with a group of local residents who are some of the first to benefit on a regular basis from the project, Coun Amos heard how the scheme had benefited them.
“We started last August with national reports highlighting that there are over 50,000 people in the county aged over 60 who feel lonely,” he said.
“With those sorts of figures we had to do something. So I set up my ‘Come On In’ project as an invitation for community organisations to help me combat this issue,” he added.
As Mayor, Coun Amos was able to access £30,000 to help three churches to begin to set up lunch and social clubs for the elderly in their parishes.
The intention is to set up a city-wide network of such groups so people across Worcester can benefit from their services.
However the project is beginning to develop its own steam and there are now, in addition to the above, one further church and two community-based organisations poised to share another £30,000 operating under the auspices of the ‘Come on In’ project.
“I am delighted that “Come on in” is a scheme which is going to stay with us, and is clearly going to access funds to make it sustainable,” Coun Amos said.
“I believe this is the type of project that everybody will want to support and will reach across all political parties in the city as it continues its development.
“I am particularly looking forward to attending one of the first events funded and set up by my ‘Come on In’ project.
“It is so exciting to realise that this is just the beginning of something expected to become permanent in the city,” he added.
