Blogs & News

We would like to give a BIG THANK YOU to our funders for contributing to our renovation work 

Bernard Sunley Foundation    

Inner NW Housing Panel         

Outer NW Housing Panel     

Clothworkers Foundation      

The Liz and Terry Bramall Foundation

The Edward Gostling Foundation    

Keyfund                                   

Power to Change

Donations from everyone else including Buy a Brick, Smartie Wall.

If you are interested in joining any of the following groups please email amy.hallam@healthforall.org.uk or ring on 07508868354. You only need an email & phone number to join a group. We often use Zoom to deliver sessions.

• Tai Chi— Helps you slow down & calm your mind. Wednesdays 2 pm.

• Reiki —Level 1 course to benefit the body & mind for yourself & loved ones, using a relaxing yet rejuvenating therapy that promotes self healing. Thursday 10am

• Improve Confidence in I.T.—Word, shopping on line, setting up safe passwords, Internet browsers and downloading safely, online books for free (kindle and other systems), Android Phones and tablets and iPhones and iPads. Tuesday 10 am

• Poetry The poetry group is on Fridays at 3pm • Creative Writing Monday 2pm

• Sing & Shine — You don’t have to be pitch perfect to join in on Wednesday’s & Fridays at 11 am

• Learn Mindfulness— for the over 50 s, this is a 90 minute group held on Mondays 10am to 11am

• Camera Club—Thursday 1pm, this club will start once they have 8 people signed up.

Times are still a little different from normal. If you can send a cheque for £12 (made payable to OPAL with your name and address on the back), or pay by bank transfer (Sort Code 53 70 00 Account No 24503274) with full name as reference, we would be very grateful. But if you can’t manage this we can collect, do ring to arrange this.

OPAL address - 

Welcome In Community Centre , 55 Bedford Drive, Leeds, LS16 6DJ Telephone: 0113 261 9103

Below is the support we can offer in these strange times.

• Delivering emergency food parcels, shopping vouchers, picking up prescriptions and providing transport to unavoidable appointments.
• Matching volunteer shoppers to people who are self isolating.
• Delivering jigsaws, wool & needles and books to people who are self isolating.
• Delivering freshly cooked hot meals (Monday, Tuesday and Friday).  We are charging £3.50 per main meal and have a little bit more capacity.
• Matching people who are self isolating to IT phone buddies - to help them use smart phones, IPads, tablets etc for social interaction.
• Door step buddies - for a short socially distanced chat.
• Strolling buddies - for a short socially distanced local walk.
• Providing emotional support and information.

This is what we have been doing for the past few weeks.

• 583 people have a telephone buddy check and chat
• 278 contacts made with people referred Leeds City Council
• 115 hot meals made and delivered each week
• 7 Ipads loaned out and 5 Alexa's.  We still have 3 more IPads and 1 Alexa to loan courtesy of Leeds Libraries.

We do have capacity to support more people so if you know of anyone struggling, please let us know.   People can contact us directly or you can refer them to us by phone 0113 261 9103 or email  admin@opal-project.org.uk.   If the individual needs a food parcel or shopping voucher they need to be refered to Leeds City Council Helpline first 0113 2781877

As many people are aware it is the 75^th Anniversary of VE day on the 8^th of May. OPAL was planning to have a week of celebrations with 1940’s themed lunch clubs (Shelley was going to cook Homity Pie and I was going to do trifle!). We were going to decorate the café in red, white and blue bunting and union jack flags and the staff involved were going to dress up in 1940’s outfits.  As well as this I was going to find out if some of our members had particular memories of that time to be put onto the OPAL web site.

All that has now gone as we have another “enemy” to combat in this virus that is keeping everyone apart .So instead of video/sound recordings of the memories I have been interviewing people over the phone and making notes about their stories. If I can, I’ve tried to search for pictures to give the memories a bit of “colour”.

Thank you to all those people who have taken part, I hope I’ve recorded everything accurately and I’ve really enjoyed listening to all your stories. This type of history is fascinating and each one is a snap shot of life at that time often in different parts of the country as well as Yorkshire!     Anne

Here are some of our members memories of that day.

Barbara      Chris      Dorothy        Alma      Mary

Elsie           Eric        Harry            Val        Kath2  

Jean           Kath1     Margaret      Rose     Janet

Please feel free to use the resources below to help plan your own activities in the run up to and on 8^th May.

•  - Watch the specially created Leeds Libraries montage of archive footage taken at the end of the war (to be hosted on Leeds Armed Forces Facebook and Twitter). If you have any photographs or material that you would like Leeds Libraries and/or Museums to be aware of for possible future use then please contact them on          localandfamilyhistory@leeds.gov.uk
• -  Watch Emily Nelson from Leeds Museums) reviewing the item of the day relating to archive material from the end of the war
• - Take part in the ‘Nation’s Toast to the Heroes of WW2’ at 3pm, 8 May by raising a glass of refreshment of their choice https://www.veday75.org/ 
• - Tune into Her Majesty -  The Queen’s message to the nation at 9pm on BBC One, the exact moment her father, King George VI, gave a radio address in 1945.
• - Join in with the Royal British Legion at 9pm in coming together to sing Dame Vera Lynn’s ‘We’ll Meet Again’
• - Share your Second World War stories, family histories and messages of remembrance on social media using #VEDay75

For more information click below

For the pdf of this leaflet click here

LATEST UPDATE 18/3/20

In response to the Government’s advice that all over 70’s should social distance themselves, OPAL have suspended all social activities until further notice.

Thank you to all the lovely people in the community who have offered their help and support - we will be in touch with you soon. In the meantime, if anyone can make donations of UHT milk, soup or tinned food, we would be glad to receive them at Welcome In main entrance between 10am – 1pm. We will be distributing emergency food parcels as necessary – the first two parcels have gone out today.

Also, if anyone has any jigsaws, puzzle books, etc that you are willing to donate please bring them to the main entrance of Welcome In between 10am – 1pm.  We plan to distribute these over the coming weeks.

At the moment, the staff team are focusing on contacting all of our members to update them, check they are ok and to reassure them that we are here if they need help.

If you know of an older person who is concerned or who wants us to keep in touch with them through this situation, please ask them to contact OPAL on 0113 2619103.

Please note:

 One You Leeds Smoking Cessation sessions (Tel: 0800 169 4219) &Youth Groups (Tel: 0113 275 9282) on Mondays and Wednesdays are still operating from the centre.

This is an evolving situation and things are likely to change.    We will do our best to keep you updated.

If you have emailed us, please be patient for a response - we will reply to you as soon as we can.

Yours sincerely

Ailsa Rhodes

The Making a Match Club, helps people aged 50+ to meet new friends and matches them with people with a shared interest.   The blub meets wevery week for local walks, cinema trips, meals out and anything else you may find of interest!   In March we will be visiting Harewood House, Temple Newsam and plenty more in-between.   Also, it's free to join!      Call Lisa on 07498 614258 or OPAL 0113 261 9103 for more details.

Sorry no transport is availabel for this club.

Now the Sunshine Room is complete, we've started fundraising to refurbish our final room the bar room, which will cost around £80,000. We already have £21,000 and aim to start these works in June 2020, subject to Government guidelines and it may take longer than planned as there is a shortage of supplies.

Thank you to everyone who has helped with fundraising in the past, we really appreciate it. So it's that one final push.

We are doing the 'Buy a Brick' again where for a minimum of £50 a tile will be displayed in the Bar Room with the name of your choice.  

Please help if you can

You can make a donation to OPAL by cheque, bank transfer or by our Localgiving page.

Please make cheques payable to OPAL and post to OPAL, The Welcome In Community Centre, 55 Bedford Drive, Leeds LS16 6DJ. 

By bank transfer a donation can be made to sort code 53 70 00 and account number 24503274 

If you would like to discuss your donation, then please contact Ailsa on 0113 261 9103.

Click here for our Localgiving page which gives the option to make a one-off or regular donation and this could be done anonymously if you prefer.

Please support us and will will make sure every penny counts.

Thank you x

Most of you will have had a telephone call from Mandy Moran who is our newest staff member.   Mandy will be helping out with administration for us for a year.

The Christmas Banquet at Ralph Thoresby School was a brilliant night with around 120 members attending.   Lots of good and laughter plus a change to catch up with friends.   Thank you to all of the staff, governors, PTA and students at the school for all their hard work.  Thank you also to the OPAL volunteers who transported ourmembers there and back safely.

Thank you to everyone who supported us by visiting, donating items or helping out on the day.  We raised £900 towards the restoration of the bar room

Great News .....We've heard our application to the 'Co-op Local Community Fund' is successful for the Community Garden.   From 27 Oct 2019 - 24 Oct 2020 Co-op Members can choose the Welcome In Community Garden as their local good cause.    

If you are not already a member of the Co-op please join and then you can choose the garden to benefit when you shop in a local Co-op.   Please join online click here.  It costs just £1 to join and there are other community benefits too.

You've done so well helping us raise money for the renovation.  So far we've reached around £500,000 in total towards the works at the Welcome In.   

Now that the Sunshine Room is complete, we've got the Bar room next to the cafe to renovate, which is the final room.  We need around £75,000 to complete this room and, as before, we will be starting the Buy a Brick fundraising again, where for £50, a tile with the name of your choice, will be displayed in the new room.

We've also decided to start Smarties Savers and we'd be thrilled if you could join in.   Pop into OPAL for a free tube of Smarties (subject to availability) and once you've enjoyed the sweets, keep the tube and fill it with 20p pieces.   Return the filled tube and leave us your first name and initial and this will be displayedon the Smarties Savers board in the new room.

The clocks go back by one hour on Sunday 27th October at 2am

Sunday 26th & Monday 27th May 2019 Non till 5pm

Collect your Scarecrow trail sheets (£1 for adults and free for children) from Leeds Modernians Clubhouse on Cookridge Lane and walk the trail through Cookridge to spot the 40+ figures.

In the Clubhouse between noon and 5pm will be games in the bar, entertainment, afternoon tea and, of course, the bar!

Keep your eyes peeled for the Welcome In & OPAL scarecrows.

OPAL is helping organise a sponsored run in Cookridge on Sunday 19th May as a legacy for Gareth Dunn, a courageous young man who sadly passed away before Christmas. 

Join us and Ronnie the Rhino for the fun run/walk, we'll do it together.   All money raised from the run will go towards OPAL and Cancer Research.   There is also a  6 mile run if anyone would like to enter.

OPAL volunteer Chelsea is looking for sponsors and OPAL staff member Rowan will also be trotting along.

We are open as normal on Thursday 18th April and will re-open on Tuesday 23rd April.

Yes, it's that time of year when we ask you to renew your Membership of OPAL.  We haven't raised the membership since 2008 and have decided that this year we need to raise membership to £12.  If you find it hard to pay this amount pleae talk to Ailsa and we will work something out.

For more details on membership please go to  page 10 of the Mar Apr 19 newsletter

  https://www.opal-project.org.uk/index.php/newsletters

Loneliness and social isolation can affect people at any age, but over one million older people say they always, or often, feel lonely.

That’s why as a sector we have a big role to play in addressing the physical, mental and social needs of people who feel isolated in our communities,

Ailsa Rhodes is CEO at Older People’s Action in the Locality (OPAL). This Leeds-based charity provides practical and emotional support for older people in their local community and offers a range of social activities so their members can get out of their homes and socialise. Most people find out about OPAL through their friends, neighbours, doctors and other health professionals.

Ailsa sees first-hand the negative impact that loneliness and isolation can have on older people.

“Our biggest challenge is reaching those lonely, isolated older people who perhaps don’t often visit their doctors and don’t have family, friends or neighbours looking out for them,” notes Ailsa. “When we first come into contact with an older person, we often find that they can be depressed, anxious about meeting people and their physical health is suffering. This can be a result of them being on their own for long periods of time, with very little social interaction.

“Older people join OPAL for many reasons, but mostly it’s about widening their social network, so the day trips, coffee afternoons, lunch clubs and exercise classes are all very popular. Each week, we arrange for over 100 older people to attend exercise classes that include yoga, tai chi, gentle exercise and chair exercise. Over 100 people attend our weekly lunch clubs and get a freshly cooked two-course meal.”

Alisa’s team uses its experience of tackling social isolation to put in place practical support to help address loneliness in their area.

“For some older people, OPAL’s information and support is important, whilst for others it’s the more specialised support such as the Dementia Support group, Carers group, Men’s group or assisted shopping.

“We also send birthday and Christmas cards to all our members and Christmas hampers to those members aged 90 and over. We have 102 members in this age bracket! It’s so heart-warming to see how much this small gesture means to people.” 

Sharon Allen, CEO of Skills for Care added: “We know social isolation can cause significant physical and mental damage, so the hands-on work charities like OPAL are doing transform and improve lives for the better. Sometimes the smallest of gestures and acts of kindness can make a huge difference to an older member of our community and our 1.47 million strong workforce can have a really positive impact in tackling this sector-wide challenge.”

To help other organisations around the country, Ailsa offers her top tips to address loneliness in the community.

• Call in on an isolated neighbour

If you need an excuse, tell them you’re taking a walk to the postbox and wondered if they wanted anything posting or you’re nipping to the shops and wondered if you could pick anything up for them.

• Offer to make a meal

You could either take a meal around or invite them to have a meal with you.

• Offer to take an isolated neighbour shopping

For many older people, shopping is a great opportunity to remain connected to society and quite often their only opportunity to talk to people. It could make a big difference to how they feel.

• Pop a contact card through your elderly neighbour’s door

You can leave your contact details, inviting them to call if they need help.

• Get involved with your local care home or charity

There are many groups in your community, such as lunch clubs, church group and specialist groups. Get in touch.

For further ideas on how your service can engage with people, staff and the wider community, look at page 377 of Skills for Care’s Good and outstanding guide that can be downloaded at www.skillsforcare.org.uk/GO.

Community Builder

If you can build good relationships with people, and you believe in the advantages of having a strong community, this role could suit you.

Working in Leeds16 area of Leeds, the main purpose of the role is to connect local people through their skills, passions and assets and support the creation of new connections and promote community activity.

As a Community Builder, your role will be to identify assets within neighbourhoods, finding positive ways to utilise these often unseen or overlooked resources for the benefit of local communities.

Experience in a similar role is desirable.

Job Title: Community Builder

Responsible to: CEO, OPAL

Hours of work: 22.5 hrs per week (2 year Fixed Term Contract)

Salary: £19,000 to £23,000 per annum (pro-rata)

Other terms: 20 days holiday (pro-rata) a year plus bank holidays and pension scheme

Closing date for applications: 1^st February 2019

How to Apply: To request an application pack please email admin@opal-project.org.uk or download an application pack here

Advert Community Builder

Job Description Community Builder

Application_Form_2019.doc

OPAL is a company limited by guarantee Registered in England No 06961204. Registered Charity No 1131792

OPAL, Welcome In Community Centre, 55 Bedford Drive, Leeds, LS16 6DJ.

We are very excited, as the Young at Arts are going to help us, along with people from the local community, create murals for the Welcome In.

Do come along and get involved at the workshop sessions on 

Thursdays 14th and 28th February and 14th & 28th March 11am - 1pm

They would love to have a cup of tea dn chat about how we can 'build' this project together!   

No need to book or sign-up, just come along

We are having changes to the heating from Mon 28th January until Friday 1st February so there will be no cafe or activities at the Welcome In that week.   Do still ring us at OPAL as we will still be working.

Thank you to everyone who supported us by visiting or helping out at the Christmas Fair.  We raised £1150 towards the restoratin of the function room