£873k grant targetsolder people at risk

The Destined charity, which from its two centres in Londonderry and Feeny addresses the needs of people with learning disabilities, has been allocated a significant £489,610 for its Making Connections project.

The Learmount Community Development Group Ltd. has received £198,811 to encourage people aged 60 and over living in the Banagher ward to become involved in community activities.

And the Kinship Care NI charity, which was founded by Londonderry mother-of-two Jacqueline Williamson, has been awarded £185,461 to develop the Caring for Kin project which will provide support to grandparents, great grandparents and kinship carers aged over 65 in the Cookstown, Draperstown and Magherafelt areas.

The allocations are part of £4.5m in grants announced across Northern Ireland as part of the Big Lottery Fund’s Connecting Older People programme.

Kinship Care NI champions the cause of family members who look after child relatives with very little support from the state.

Ms Williamson said the Caring for Kin project would provide a variety of support including the development of a helpline and the creation of groups to help develop the skills of older carers.

She said: “In the last two years we have been contacted by over 120 families who are looking after a relatives’ child.

“This normally happens because of a variety of issues including illness of a parent, mental health issues, addiction and dependency problems with drugs and alcohol and even the untimely death of a parent. This funding will help to transform so many lives.”

She originally set up the charity after finding herself struggling when she became the full time carer of her sister’s child.

“I felt a real stigma attached to admitting that it was difficult and I felt very alone and isolated it wasn’t until I met two grandparents who were much older than me and looking after their two young grandchildren that I realised I wasn’t alone.

“We had similar feelings and anxieties and that we felt there were real issues attached to looking after a member of ‘kin’, so Kinship Care was established with the aim of providing practical help and support to carers many of whom were over 60.”

Destined intends using its funding to organise activities for 100 older people with learning disabilities.

These will include social and personal development, training, independent living and social activities.

The project is aimed at reducing levels of isolation and exclusion by establishing a friendship club.

Each participant will be given a mobile phone and a top-up, and will receive training on how to text, send emails and surf the internet.

They will also get support from the younger members of Destined and health care students from the North West Regional College.

Learmount Community Development Group Ltd. will target men and those who have not attended activities like the weekly luncheon club in the Learmount Community Centre before.

The project will establish a database identifying older people in the area. It will ask them what activities they would like to be involved in and will expand its existing services to include social, recreational and educational activities and provide volunteering opportunities as well as ICT training to help people keep in touch with family, reducing loneliness and isolation.