Popular Spalding day care centre for the elderly becomes an independent charity
A popular Spalding day centre for the elderly yesterday celebrated the dawn of a new era as an independent charity.
The charity has been set up under a familiar name - The Meadows Day Centre - and will keep its home in the John Van Geest building at The Meadows, off Park Road.
It no longer comes under the wing of Age UK but service users will still enjoy the same gold standard of care, along with cooked meals, baths and showers, and activities ranging from karaoke to New Age Kurling.
General manager Liz Walmsley said the day centre has been in its present building since 2000 but the service started life in three community rooms in the 1980s when Gerald and Audrey Ilsley founded a branch of Age Concern.
Age Concern later merged with Help the Aged to form Age UK.
Liz said Age UK does a very good job nationally, including campaigning for better rights for older people.
But The Meadows wanted to focus on its "real purpose", which is looking after people in the day care setting.
Liz said: "Being The Meadows Day Centre, and in charge of our own destiny, we can concentrate all our efforts on what is important to us - people.
"Everything will remain the same in regards of services, staff and the way we operate as we believe we give older people what they are looking for in later years or earlier years with dementia.
"We can provide respite care for carers who need some 'me time', which is very important to us all.
"We have had lots of feedback from families, friends and healthcare workers who have said what a difference our services can make to someone living alone and isolated - they can enjoy a hot, freshly cooked meal, refreshments and entertainment as well as care from our trained carers.
"Loneliness can deteriorate health quickly so being in the company of your peer group - and having someone to share troubles with - can often make a huge difference. Not everyone lives near their family so we hope to bridge that gap."
The Meadows formally split with Age UK on October 31 but service users, staff, trustees and guests enjoyed a re-launch party yesterday.
Charity chairman Patrick Skells said: "The main concern was that Age UK have a policy of trying to encourage individual charities in Lincolnshire to merge into a county-wide organisation.
"We didn't feel it was in the best interests of this day centre to be, for example, run by a county-wide organisation based in Lincoln.
"It is better that it is kept local because we think we can provide a better service for the residents of Spalding and South Holland in that way."
The Meadows raises funds through two furniture recycling centres - to which people can donate or buy bargains - and they're based at Unit 6, Flaxmill Buildings, Flaxmill Lane, Pinchbeck, and Unit 33 Fleet Road Industrial Estate, Holbeach.