A ‘ONE stop shop’ for elderly and vulnerable people is to open in Redditch in what will be a first for all of Worcestershire.
‘Redditch Together’ will bring under one roof all the information and advice senior citizens might need, from accessing a range of care services to helpful advice and leaflets on everything that might make life a little bit easier or impact on their wellbeing.
It will be based in the Ecumenical Centre in Evesham Walk and open five days a week from 10am to 2pm.
A key driver of the initiative has been Borough Councillor Pat Witherspoon, chair of the town’s Older People’s Forum.
“Several meetings with many organisations has resulted in agreement for a new resource centre for older and vulnerable people in Redditch,” she said.
“We aim to provide all the information to enable residents to find what they need and we’ll be asking all the agencies in Redditch to provide a leaflet or information on their services and we will share it all under one roof.”
Backing has come from a range of organisations, including Carers Careline, the Disability Support Group, both already in the Ecumenical Centre, and Age UK.
“I do not think there is another town in Worcestershire where they have something like this all together and accessible to everyone,” added Coun Witherspoon.
The service will be free although volunteers are needed to staff the centre while fundraising has already started to pay for rent.
“One of the county councillors has helped from their divisional funds and hopefully we will get donations and of course we will be applying for grants too,” said Coun Witherspoon.
The service, which now has a constitution and a mission statement, is set to launch on Tuesday, October 16 at 11am.
