PEOPLE & PLACES

‘You have no idea how much it means to me. I'm beginning to feel human again... it's easily the best organisation I know of for lonely people such as myself.’ Peggy, aged 84 years.

Contact the Elderly has been bringing friendship to lonely and isolated older people for 46 years. We do this by bringing together small groups of lonely older people and kind hearted volunteers, who meet in volunteer's homes, enjoying cups of tea, cake and sandwiches together in a warm and friendly environment. This free monthly service is a vital lifeline of friendship for the charity's older members.

There are over 800 people aged 75 years plus living in Wellesbourne. One third of these older people will not see anyone from one week to the next, and with increasing physical frailty, or a reduction in confidence, independence can quickly become isolation and a life alone. We'd like to start a Contact the Elderly group in Wellesbourne, so that some of the lonely older people living locally could meet new friends and enjoy a chat and a laugh and a delicious Tea in a family home once a month. You could make a difference in your area.

Walter, a member of one of Contact the Elderly's groups, said: “My wife has died now, and I've been on my own for five years. I was very active until recently, when I had a stroke. Now it's frustrating, and I don't hear well, which is a nuisance. Being able to join the Contact the Elderly group is wonderful. It makes such a change, being picked up and brought out for Tea. Better than seeing the same four walls all the time.”

All Contact the Elderly groups depend on local volunteers; drivers each with their own car available just once a month on a Sunday afternoon, and hosts willing to invite a small group into their home for Afternoon Tea once or twice a year. Hosts do need a downstairs toilet, as many guests would be too frail to manage many stairs. So, if you are a driver who likes to eat homemade cake in good company, or if you enjoy baking for others, please do ’phone me for a chat about how you could help isolated older people in Wellesbourne.

Pamela Walker (Regional Development Officer) on: 0121 603 1331 or call the Freephone number: 0800 716543. www.contact-the-elderly.org.uk

Memorial to Two Wartime Aircrews

On Wednesday 7th September WAG Walkers located the memorial to 2 wartime air crashes. A Whitley bomber, piloted by F/O Shalless of the Royal Australian Air Force, crashed into Scar Bank at Wasperton in July 1943. Later a Scout Hall in Melbourne was named in his honour. Some time later local people, assisted by Jack Pratley of the Wellesbourne Airfield Museum and Kath Wright of Wasperton found the memorial on the banks of the Avon commemorating the crew of the Whitley, and of a Wellington bomber that had crashed in almost the same place the previous year. With the help of the Wasperton PCC and many private donations, Kath has raised sufficient funds to restore the memorial and that work is now completed.

To complement the original plaque, “Lest we forget”, an engraved plate was prepared listing the names of the young men who died so far from home, most of whom were aged 24 or less.

The WAG walkers did this walk on the 7^th September this year but it is not a public right of way.

Girlguiding news

Allyson Wise, leader of the 2nd Wellesbourne Rainbows was one of the leaders who took a party of Midland Region Senior Section girls aged 14-18 to "Jamborette", an International camp held in Zottegem, Belgium. Before the trip the girls and leaders spent a training weekend at Blackwell Court near Bromsgrove where they all got to know each other and Allyson gained her camper's licence.

The group travelled to Belgium by Eurostar after spending the night at the Guide World Centre in London. When Allyson's Brownies heard she was going abroad they gave her the pack mascots of Promise Bear and Tina to take with her. They are shown taking part in one of the first jobs on arrival which was to build a table and benches as shown in the photograph. It was a back to basics camp with cooking on wood fires, a night hike and a two day hike using various forms of transport – foot, rail, bicycle and boat with an overnight camp.

Guides and Scouts from France, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Scotland and Wales attended the camp and many friends were made. In true Guiding fashion the camp ended with singing around the campfire.

If you would like to find out more about Guiding in Wellesbourne District, please contact Kate Skinner on 01789 842148.