The St Austell phase of the Active Plus Communities programme is based at Prince Charles House, Ocean Housing’s award-winning eco-development, set in the heart of the town. Residents aged from 50 to 82 have been meeting weekly with injured military veterans from Active Plus to build friendships, confidence and community involvement.
On Wednesday 12th August they celebrated their journey so far, inviting VIPs from the community, including Mayor of St Austell, Cllr Brian Palmer, to share their experience of the project, which is funded by the Big Lottery.
Participant Alan Gibbons, 59, from St Austell said: “We’ve learned a lot about the services out there that can help us. The veterans are a great bunch, they get everyone working together as a team and we are making sure we keep it going for the future”
Dorinda Hood is the Older Persons Manager, part of the Ocean Extra scheme, providing friendly and innovative community support for Ocean Housing’s over-50s residents. She reflected on what was wholeheartedly agreed to be a rewarding experience:
“We were delighted to work with Active Plus on this project at Prince Charles House. It was a fantastic way of linking up different groups and building bonds.”
Tim Cocks, Managing Director at Active Plus added:
“Active Plus Communities is all about people helping themselves through helping others. This programme not only helps people to become connected in their communities but also helps our military veterans, many of whom have also experienced isolation and health challenges. The idea is that each Active Plus Communities group goes on to help others in their community”
The St Austell group will continue to meet along with their Active Plus Communities mentor to develop community projects and activities, the first being a coffee morning in aid of MacMillan Cancer Support. 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 and Bude in the Autumn. To find out more information about the project in your local area, call Active Plus on 01326 567174.