1 st february 2011generations together - reading legacy event for generations together / inspiring...

1st February 2011 Generations Together - Reading

Legacy Event for Generations Together / Inspiring Communities

1st February 2011Eland House, London

Lorna Stanley

Andrew Haydon


• A series of 20 community group and schools-led projects.

• Culminating in Festival of Ages 2010.• Involving 1,300 volunteers - 650 older, 650

younger.• Benefiting a further 1,000 recipients and wider

participants.• Targeting the most deprived areas within

Reading.• Delivery managed by Age UK Berkshire &

Central Berkshire Education Business Partnership, reporting quarterly to our Local Authority.

Project Aims & Set-Up


Primary Desired Outcomes

• Improved perception of young people by older people.

• Improved perception of older people by young people.

• Increased ability to make a positive contribution to the life of the community.

• Increased involvement of educational institutions in the local community.


Achievements• Delivery of 22 projects, working with

volunteers from all areas of Reading. • Recruited 1,357 volunteers.• Benefited a further 1,406 wider

participants and 372 recipients.• Festival of Ages 2010.• Evidence of success achieving all our

desired outcomes through our local evaluation.


Biggest Challenges• Enabling community groups & schools to

understand intergenerational work.• Consent from parents for under 16s to

participate in national evaluation.• Gathering sufficient evidence from participants.• Changes in safeguarding legislation.• Older Volunteer Recruitment:

– Hard to reach groups– Males– Autumn/winter projects


Lessons Learnt (1)• Level of success dependent on lead community

group’s or school’s capability, willingness to learn, responsiveness to feedback and flexibility.

• Role of project management team & partnership working are vital in ensuring the activities stay on track.

• Developing a strong brand creates a visual identity, which aids PR and publicity. Budget for marketing and communications is important.

• Approaches to safeguarding need to be proportional to the level of risk posed.


Lessons Learnt (2)• Older volunteer recruitment benefits from using

multiple methods e.g. visiting groups, pooling existing resources like databases, networking.

• Evening and outdoor projects work best if started between March & October, when older people feel more confident leaving the house.

• People are happy to give feedback face-to-face, but can feel overwhelmed by forms and are suspicious of phone calls.

• Some of the best and most effective projects cost the least amount of money!


Festival of Ages 2010

• Gala Day celebrations – showcasing some of our projects’ achievements.

• Let’s Sing – 250 people of all ages turning up to have a sing-song (in spite of torrential rain!)

• A selection of the Week’s Events:– Fit as a Fiddle Allotment Project– New Town Primary – Poetry & Music– Broad Street Mall Open Day– Ranikhet Primary – Tai Chi & Lunch– Blessed Hugh – Tea & Performances & Choir


Festival Challenges• Buy in from community groups, no contractual

obligation to participate in festival for:• Performances at the festival (Stage fright!)• Activities for the week

• Time of year – October was not ideal, July would have been better.– Ability to use (cheaper) outdoor venues.– Many schools project reached a natural conclusion at

the end of July.– Easier to tempt older people outdoors when the

weather is warmer and evenings are longer.• Celebrity commitment for festival.


Recommendations for Future Work• More time needed in planning phase before

starting delivery (4-6 months rather than 5 weeks!)

• Develop commissioning process:– 2 step process of application and presentation– More partner representatives on panel– Young and older people on panel

• More face-to-face evaluation techniques• Start grassroots projects with less money,

providing more funding dependent on success.


Any questions?


Contact Us• Andrew Haydon – Schools Liaison Officer – Central

Berkshire Education Business Partnership - [email protected] – 0118 984 6947

• Until 31st March 2011: Lorna Stanley – Project Officer – Age UK Berkshire - [email protected] – 07795 481 764

• Until 31st March 2011: Generations Together Office, Age UK Berkshire, Huntley House, 119 London Street, Reading, Berkshire. RG1 4QA. [email protected] - 0118 902 3598

mailto:[email protected]



1 st february 2011generations together - reading legacy event for generations together / inspiring...

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