Join our Culture Club and help isolated older people visit cultural sites across Cardiff and the Vale

Age Cymru is seeking volunteers who are not only passionate about local cultural sites such as museums, public art, and parks, but who are also willing to accompany isolated older people to visit and enjoy such sites through the charity’s Culture Club project.   

Funded by the Welsh Government, the project aims to encourage vulnerable older people to get out and about to safely enjoy their local cultural sites with the help of a friendly volunteer.  It also hopes to build the confidence of isolated older people, many of whom have been shielding for the best part of two years during the pandemic.   

The volunteers, who will receive training from the charity, may travel with the older people, or they may meet them at the site, whichever suits both parties best.   

Age Cymru’s Kelly Barr, who is overseeing the project, says “We know that some older people are living lonely and isolated lives and even though they may be interested in visiting our cultural sites, they do not have the confidence to visit them on their own.  We have already seen that Culture Club can support them to get back out into their communities once again and start enjoying all that Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan has to offer.”    

Follow in the Footsteps of Cardiff’s Mr Ali 

Mr Ali suffers with multiple illnesses including severe problems with his left eye and is now registered blind, heart disease which required surgery to insert a valve, and he was hospitalised with Covid.  Nevertheless, through Age Cymru’s Culture Club, he has recently visited The Cardiff Story Museum, Caerphilly Mountain, and Cardiff Bay to name but a few places with Jackie, his Culture Club volunteer.    

Mr Ali, a former shop assistant at a Spar Supermarket says “The cultural visits help clear my head as I get to enjoy interesting places plus, I get to chat with Jackie over a coffee.  I’d highly recommend people joining Culture Club, especially if they live on their own.  

“Getting back out and about during the pandemic seemed like a different world with people queuing up outside shops but going with Jackie made it so much easier.”  Next up, Mr Ali is hoping to cycle around Bute Park in a specially adapted tricycle from the accessible cycle hire charity Pedal Power.  “But I’ll have to be nice to Jackie as she’ll have to do all the cycling!”  

If you feel you may benefit from either joining, or volunteering, with Culture Club please email kelly.barr@agecymru.org.uk, call 029 2043 1555, or visit www.agecymru.org.uk/volunteer