By
• 11 Jul 2021
BACK TOGETHER: Tracy Turnbull of Teesdale Day Clubs serves up treats for Annie Henderson, Norma Robinson, Vera Carter, Mavis Tarn and Christine Wardle
MANY elderly dale residents are leaving their homes for the first time in more than a year thanks to new support groups set up by Teesdale Day Clubs.
The groups began meeting when coronavirus restrictions were lifted last month, giving many vulnerable people their first face-to-face social interaction since March last year.
One of those to benefit is 97-year-old Annie Henderson who joined a group meeting at Barnard Castle Cricket Club last week.
She described her first outing since lockdown as being like a trip abroad.
SUPPORT FOR YOUNG AND OLD: Rachel Dyne, YMCA operations director
A FUNDING lifeline has been handed to a dale organisation so it can continue to provide vital support to young and old people in Teesdale.
Without the cash, Teesdale YMCA would have faced a struggle to survive during the Covid-19 pandemic.
As well as providing online youth support across the dale, the organisation is delivering hot meals to elderly people in the Cockfield and Evenwood areas. Staff are also working on new projects so they can hit the ground running when the pandemic is over.
Rachel Dyne, YMCA operations director, said: “The grants have meant that we have been able to keep delivering youth work. Without it, our focus would have been on surviving, not moving forward.”