A group of people aged 50 to 85 from Camborne are the third group in Cornwall to join up with the injured military veterans from Active Plus to make a difference in their community. On Thursday 27th August they celebrated their journey so far with a presentation to VIP guests including Mayor of Camborne, Trevor Chalker. As well as support from military veterans, the group have enjoyed the company of young mums Hannah Prout and Chelsey Ferris, who asked to volunteer on the project after they attended an Active Plus course for lone parents.
Through Active Plus Communities, a programme funded by the Big Lottery and delivered in partnership with local business Hudson Friday, the group have been meeting every Thursday morning at the Rosemellin Gooseberry Bush Day Nursery to build friendships, confidence and teamwork. Participant Jeanette Gerry from Camborne said: “I really look forward to Thursdays now. I’ve gained a lot more confidence since I started. Last week I went home feeling I could do anything! ”
Speaking at the presentation, Mayor of Camborne Trevor Chalker said “Active Plus Communities is an excellent programme and I am very impressed by everything I have seen and heard today. I look forward to hearing more about how the group help the wider community”
Active Plus military veteran Mark Thomas, who will continue to mentor the group, added: “Active Plus Communities is about people helping themselves through helping others. It benefits the people who attend, the military veterans who deliver, volunteers like Hannah and Chelsey, and ultimately the wider community. Our role is to help unlock potential by building confidence, teamwork and motivation and by providing access to knowledge and information. The rest comes from the participants themselves. They are a fantastic bunch!”
The Camborne group will continue to meet to develop community projects and activities. They will also link up with the 19 other communities that will be joining the Big Lottery funded project. Groups are currently running in St Austell, Falmouth and Camborne and will start in Helston in September and Bude in October.