Two recent older person’s events in Borehamwood have been hailed a great success, with over a hundred people attending the ‘safety, help and advice’ event for people aged 60 and over.
The latest event took place at Borehamwood and Elstree Synagogue (BES) on Thursday 2 November and the first at Maxwell Park Community Centre on Tuesday 24 October.
Representatives from Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue, Hertfordshire Police, Trading Standards, Communities 1st, Herts Help and many more joined Hertsmere Borough Council and Hertfordshire County Council to speak about the support available and a variety of issues.
At the events speakers talked about their services and stalls were set up for residents to discuss issues in more detail.
During both events, participants received free refreshments and a lunch from Herts Independent Living Service was provided at Maxwell Park Community Centre and by Pumpernick's Bagel Bakery at BES. All attendees were given a Warm in Winter gift bag containing essential, practical, keep warm items by Small Acts of Kindness along with other goodies.
Cllr Christian Gray, Portfolio Holder for Communities, Neighbourhoods, Enforcement, Economic Development and Transformation, said: “I am delighted so many local people attended both events, which was set up to help our older community feel safer. Residents were given the opportunity to find out about the support, guidance and help available locally. In addition they were able to receive advice on safety inside and outside the home, scams and how to avoid them along with health and wellbeing information to help them live healthier, independent lives.
“I'd like to thank all the residents who attended as well as the local organisations who helped to make this event such a success. We know that loneliness has been a serious issue for many older people, so it was great to see people together talking and laughing."
Area Commander Lee Haward, said: “Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service welcomes the opportunity to be part of the countywide OPALS initiative. These events are aimed at the older person and cover a wide range of topics. Our statistics show that the elderly are more likely to become a victim of fire, so having an opportunity to educate attendees on fire safety matters and offering a follow up home visit is something the fire service are proud to be involved in.”
After attending the event 75 per cent of the people said they know more about the support available to them, 48 per cent said they felt more connected to others and 50 per cent said they’re now better able to keep themselves safer.
When asked what they would do differently after attending the event, comments included ‘joining a keep fit class and getting a fire safety check’, ‘take advantage of the help offered’ and that they were ‘more aware of cold callers and scams’.
To find out more about community safety
Posted on Thursday 9th November 2023