One of our key thematic areas has always been to find ways to support older residents in North Cleethorpes
When? 2014 – 2025
The definition of an ‘older’ person can be very flexible. For some groups it might be over 60’s or over 70’s. For other groups it might be anyone over 50 or 55, or someone who is retired. And across the age range there are clearly differences between an able bodied 55 year old and a more ‘aged’ 90 year old care home resident.
But for most of the duration of Big Local North Cleethorpes we’ve recognised that a large part of the demographic population across North Cleethorpes is ‘older’ – however that is defined. So one of our thematic focuses has for a long time been to find ways to support ‘Older People’.
This has meant creating projects and initiatives that Big Local could either fund or seek funding for; deliver ourselves or work in partnership; and would be something that we could both make happen and would make a difference.
Over the life of the Big Local programme we’ve delivered a wide range of projects that tackle the issues that matter to local older people in North Cleethorpes.
Of course a very large number of our projects and initiatives are available or open to all kinds of residents and ages – supporting older people might just happen as a result. Our Community Hub at 82 Grimsby Road is open to all, but some of the daytime activity groups might end up attracting older people due to their availability during the working day. The access ramp we funded at Cleethorpes Railway Station can be used by anyone, but of course an older person, perhaps with mobility issues can benefit directly through easier access to the station concourse.
But many projects are deliberately created to focus on the needs and issues of local older people.
The Big Local approach to supporting Older People
Video prepared October 2023 as Big Local North Cleethorpes attended an Older Peoples Advice Day event in Cleethorpes. Explains the Big Local approach to community safety and supporting older people.
Our various initiatives…
82 Grimsby Road is a Warmspace once again over the winter of 2024/25.
Our Keeping Older People Safe (KOPS)programme was started to specifically coordinate a range of offers and projects directed at older people. This includes occasional KOPS newsletters. The programme continues into 2025 supported by VANEL and other partners.
Our Stay Safe guides have been a great success. A first edition was prepared during covid and is aimed specifically at older people. Since then a number of editions have been produced and supplies continue to be available around Cleethorpes and North East Lincolnshire.
We’ve been running Scams/Fraud awareness talks for several years (funded from Big Local as well as Fraudwatch) and dozens of talks have reached hundreds of local older people.
As well as fraud talks, many of our initiatives such as our community shredders (combating identity theft) and an experiment with a trusted traders approach and ‘no cold caller’ stickers (combating doorstep fraud) have been successful.
One of our very earliest projects aimed at older people was our work with Blue Lights Brigade to do “safe and well” checks on vulnerable households and people in North Cleethorpes.
For a while we’ve also provided IT and digital technology support – such as our digitally disconnected project, and this has helped older people tackle a lack of IT skills.
Our provision of free items of household or personal safety equipment to local residents and our support for Neighbourhood Watch are not directly targeting older people, but of course those programmes too will support older people.
Much of the work we’ve undertaken to support Older People in North Cleethorpes has been in partnership. The Later Life Partnership in particular reach an audience of older people locally, so we work closely with Friendship at Home and Age UK in particular to circulate our materials and get people connected to our offer.
We’ve also worked with various funders to bring in additional money for hardship grants, warmspace provision, community safety equipment and so on, so we’re grateful for all that support.
