Legacy
Legacy
Please note: this post is 33 months old and The Cares Family is no longer operational. This post is shared for information only
After nearly two years of working from our homes, and feeling physically disconnected from one another, Liverpool Cares are delighted to be back out across Liverpool - connecting with local community groups and organisations in our amazing city, and introducing them to Liverpool Cares in person.
Over the past three months, our Senior Volunteer & Outreach Coordinator, Rachael, has been busy reaching out to an array of community groups, healthcare providers and local services in a bid to reach new older neighbours in Liverpool and connect them to our vibrant programmes, including our monthly social clubs that aim to bring younger and older neighbours together to hang out, share time and have fun.
Since September, we’ve built even deeper relationships with many community groups, including New Beginnings, Improving Lives, Everton in the Community, ‘Knit and Natter’ and art groups at Lister Steps, New Friends Merseyside, Friends of Walton Hall and Norris Green Park and the Liverpool Irish Centre to name a few!
Along with getting together with so many local community groups, we’ve also dropped off flyers to local libraries, food banks and launderettes in an attempt to reach as many older neighbours in Liverpool as we can, and presented to local community partners — including South Liverpool Social Prescribers, The Stroke Association and Life Rooms Merseyside.
This proactive and exciting outreach work across our city has led to Rachael meeting 130 new older neighbours, all of whom now receive our free monthly social clubs programme in the post! So many of these older neighbours who wouldn't have known about Liverpool Cares before, and we’re so pleased to welcome them to our social clubs.
This ‘on the ground’ outreach work is fundamental to Liverpool Cares, underpinning all of our programmes and working to bring new neighbours into our community network. Outreach also forms and builds strong relationships with other organisations, businesses and community partners — providing a space for conversations to take place, questions to be raised and stories to be told.
Our outreach is the first chance that many older neighbours have to hear about Liverpool Cares, to get a sense of what we do, and hear more about why we are doing the work we are doing. And with any meeting, first impressions are so important!
We’re delighted to have spoken to so many older neighbours in a number of different settings including pubs, community gardens, former libraries, and football hubs, and we’re excited about what the future holds for neighbours who we haven’t yet met.
Even after such a difficult and disconnected time, it’s a testament to community groups and their leaders who are still meeting up and are open to new possibilities - including the coming together of younger and older people to spend time, have fun and share time at activities and events.