CHARITY OF THE WEEK: Wetherby in Support of the Elderly step up in face of Covid to ensure nobody is ignored

Wetherby in Support of the Elderly (WiSE) is a registered charity which aims to improve the quality of life for the over 60s by providing community based activities, information, help and support.

The organisation was founded in 2003 and offers a number of services including befriending, grass cutting, transport services and information and advice.

They also offer a range of social activities that those over the age of 60 can get involved in such as line dancing, coffee mornings, crafting workshops and bingo.

In a completely unprecedented time for everybody, WiSE had to quickly step forward to deliver a whole range of new services to support not just the over 60s, but also people who were shielding and vulnerable due to the onset of the Covid pandemic.

Mark Dobson, Chief Operating Officer at WiSE, reflects on the last two years and tells how stepping up during the pandemic has made the charity stronger and more popular than ever before with the area’s older community.

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He said: “When Coronavirus first hit, sadly many of our core services had to be quickly suspended.

“All of the charity’s services are designed to reduce loneliness and isolation in older people, but mainly through face-to-face initiatives.

“When these stopped, we knew that we wanted to help in a different way.

“We quickly stepped up and became the operational hub for North East Leeds.

“This involved offering essential support to people like shopping, food parcels, prescription deliveries and a much-needed lifeline through a telephone befriending system which we established right away.

“We quickly adapted to the new reality to offer much-needed support to many vulnerable people.

“It was also a year when we expanded and developed our partnerships by working closely with the local authority, councillors, Voluntary Action Leeds, church and community groups and a new cohort of incredible volunteers who stepped forward to help deliver essential services on the ground.”

From July to the end of December 2021, around 1,800 coffees, 1,500 cups of tea and 850 scones have been served to 2,775 visitors at the WiSE Owl Café and they have staged 83 social activities, from chairobics, aerobics and line dancing to knitting, crafting and music sessions.

More than 130 transport journeys have been completed, 61 people have had their grass cut each month and 24 people have received contact from a friendly visitor.

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Mark added: “So what is the future for WiSE?

“There is still a level of uncertainty and what we delivered during the pandemic is work we intend to continue where and when needed but we now think it is time to begin to re-emerge from the clouds of the last two years.

“Our mission for 2022 is to build on our successes by enhancing our core services.

“To do this effectively we are now appealing for volunteers, fundraisers and corporate sponsors in a number of different areas and anything you can do to help really does make a massive difference to the quality of life in older people in Wetherby and in its surrounding area.”

There are thousands of ways to fundraise for WiSE - the possibilities are endless.

Every penny that they raise helps to improve the quality of life for an older person in Wetherby and the surrounding villages and whatever you decide to do, they will be there to support you.

Volunteers are the lifeblood of the work carried out by WiSE and they are central to many of the most important services that they offer.

They are always on the look out for more so that they can help even more isolated, older people live happy and fulfilling lives. Some people volunteer for just an hour a week as a befriender, whilst others contribute more time towards supporting their many other services that they offer.

If you think you can help and would like to find out more information about WiSE, visit https://w-ise.org.uk/volunteer/You can also get in touch with them by emailing [email protected] or call 01937588994.

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