Age UK Bradford District

Age UK Bradford District is a local, independent charity that enables, empowers and supports people to live well as active, engaged and influential members of their communities. They work to ensure that everyone’s contribution is valued and that individuals and their communities provide mutual support which promotes independence, inclusion, choice and control.

Community Hubs

Age UK Bradford District has six Community Hubs, each one offering a range of functions – Information, Help and Support, Advice, Activities and Shopping - while focusing on the needs identified by local older people and working with the skills and resources from Bradford’s diverse neighbourhoods and communities to support older people. The six Hubs are based in premises in Allerton, Idle, Keighley, Queensbury, Shipley and Wrose.

As Mark Rounding, Chief Executive of Age UK Bradford District, explains: “We have developed over the last year so we can continue our hugely important work providing information, help and support, advice and a wide range of activities for older people in communities across Bradford District, helping them to feel less lonely, stay active and become more connected and financially secure.”

Each Hub features Area Impact Teams and offers a wide range of services more locally and more responsively to local needs than the charity has been able to provide previously. They serve the communities as defined by Bradford Council’s area structure and the five constituencies of Bradford District:

• Bradford East • Bradford South • Bradford West • Keighley & Ilkley • Shipley & Bingley Everyone is welcome and there are seated areas at each Hub, so if you’re in the area you can always pop in to access the range of offerings.

Each area also has a Hub Development Coordinator who is responsible for engaging with communities and building Age UK Bradford District’s offer across the area, developing over time to deliver the following: • Community Groups • Campaigns and influencing • Casework • Advice • Shopping • Information and Signposting • Fundraising • Community partnerships

Your local Hub Development Coordinator

To best serve the community where each Hub is located, staff are in place who are responsible for engaging with the community and enhancing Age UK Bradford District’s impact across the area.

Each person has the skills and experience to understand the local area and its residents, and will work to make sure that the support that older people ask for and want is offered.

Dave Green, Hub Development Coordinator for Bradford South and Bradford West will be responsible for developing groups and activities in and around the Community Hubs in Queensbury and Allerton, and he will build on relationships and connections with the local communities.

He’s lived in Bradford for 40 years , has experience of working in social services and has been involved in local politics serving as a councilor on Bradford Council. that the people we work with want and need and the contacts that I have developed will help us achieve our goals. On the challenges ahead of reaching out to the community Dave talks about Bradford’s cultural boundaries and rebuilding after the lockdowns we’ve experienced in the last 18 months.

“There are cultural and language matters that we need to be aware of in developing our work in parts of Bradford which we need to ensure that we are in a position to address. We also need to rebuild our activities following the lockdowns and recognise that there may still be reticence amongst some older people in attending group events or face to face activities.

Dave moves on to stressing the importance of volunteers in the success of the charity’s work. “Volunteers are key and will continue to provide the backbone of the work we do now and in the future. We need to value them and use their skills and enthusiasm appropriately.” Finally, a message to the local communities around Bradford South and Bradford West.

“It has been a horrible 2 years for everybody and as we, hopefully, come out of the worst social effects of Covid I look forward to working with local people to help build the services and activities they want and need. “

To find out more about Age UK Bradford District and the work that the charity is doing you can visit www.ageuk.org.uk/bradforddistrict, email info@ageukbd.org.uk or phone 01274 391190.

Follow Age UK Bradford District on social media

Facebook www.facebook.com/ AgeUKBradfordDistrict Twitter @AgeUKBradford