Members at St Martins Day Centre get creative with poppies

News from our partners Age UK Shropshire Telford & Wrekin

Members of an Age UK Shropshire Telford & Wrekin day centre have been creating poppies to celebrate Oswestry in Bloom.

Rachel Byron, Director/Arts and health practitioner from Mark a Mark, based just over the border in North Wales, regularly works with staff and volunteers at Age UK to use art to stimulate discussion and enjoyment.

Members of St Martins Day Centre with the artwork; with Day Centre organiser, Val Brown (back row far right, blue & white dress)

Volunteer organiser Val Brown invited Rachel to make a creative piece of artwork for the town’s flower competition – Oswestry in Bloom. The group were inspired to make poppies out of paper and decorate them using soft pastels. The poppies were brought together in a landscape scene to be framed and put on display in Oswestry Library.

Rachel said:

“It seemed very timely to celebrate the Oswestry in Bloom competition and using art can be very stimulating for older people. It is an engaging and liberating experience for many people and particularly has a very positive effect on older adults. It was a lovely project to get involved with, created by the members of the day centre and arranged by them; they are really proud of it.”

Age UK Shropshire Telford & Wrekin runs 39 day centres across Shropshire, offering a friendly day out, a hot meal and activities for older people who cannot get about easily. For further details please call Rachel Hurford on 01743 233123 or visit the website  www.ageukshropshireandtelford.org.uk

Further information

Age UK Shropshire Telford & Wrekin is a local charity which has been working tirelessly for over 67 years to make life better for older people across the whole of Shropshire.

Age UK Shropshire Telford & Wrekin offers a range of services for older people in the county. These include: Information and Advice, Day Centres, dementia support, the Help at Home Service, volunteer befriending visitors, Home from Hospital services, Lunch Clubs, Living Well activities, Benefits Advice, and Advocacy on behalf of older people.

Last year over 100,000 volunteer hours were given to support older people, ranging from helping people to fill in benefits forms, supporting people in our 40 Day Centres, visiting isolated older people at home, to acting as receptionists in our Shrewsbury office.

As part of our ‘No one should have No one’ campaign, we are raising money and recruiting volunteers to increase services such as befriending and social activities that reduce isolation and loneliness among  older people in Shropshire.

Age UK Shropshire Telford & Wrekin is based in Shrewsbury and in Telford.  The Shrewsbury office is open from 10am – 4pm Monday to Friday, 01743 233123.  Our office at Meeting Point House in Telford is open every morning, 01952 216018.  Further information about our local services is available on our website www.ageukshropshireandtelford.org.uk