Enthusiastic volunteers from UK volunteering charity CSV will help reduce some of the isolation experienced by older people living in residential care homes, sheltered accommodation and hospitals/hospices, with support from a £226,375 Big Lottery Fund grant, which is being announced today.

The Red Reading and Reminiscence Boxes project will bring reading and reminiscence activities to residents in care and sheltered housing across 100 establishments in Kent and Medway, increasing mental stimulation of participants and helping to forge intergenerational links with the community.

Nicola Browne, Project Director with CSV in Kent said: “Our volunteers will help reduce some of the isolation experienced by residents in care and sheltered housing. Interest in books, poetry, music, film and drama does not stop when older people are less independent and our volunteers will encourage and give residents the enthusiasm to rediscover their love of literature and the arts. Full of energy and of all ages, CSV's volunteers will have the time to give individual attention and be a connection to the local community and the outside world. We are especially excited that our project will bring together young volunteers and older people, to talk about and share their experiences of the local neighbourhood."

Red boxes of books, audio visual items and reminiscence material are delivered to many residential homes and other care settings in Kent and Medway through Kent Libraries and Archives, who will be one of CSV’s partners in this new project.  Their Business Support Manager Diane Chilmaid said: ‘CSV has been successfully delivering our Time2Give volunteering programme for many years and we have seen the added richness volunteer help can bring to library related services’.  

Red Reading and Reminiscence Boxes project is funded for three years and will start in the spring. Around 2000 older people will be involved, together with 100 volunteers.

For further information about the project please contact Nicola Brown on 01622 696468 / nicola.browne@kent.gov.uk or Lisa Whitbread on 01622 694177 / lisa.whitbread@kent.gov.uk

For more press information contact: Francesca Toma or Jason Tanner on 020 7812 0037 / 38 or ftoma@csv.org.uk / jtanner@csv.org.uk or 07966 168686 / 07941 433598

Notes for editors:

1.    CSV (Community Service Volunteers) creates opportunities for people to take an active part in the life of their communities through volunteering, training and community action. Every year CSV helps transform the lives of over 1 million people. Last year 165,666 people gave their time as volunteers through CSV. The charity worked with 13,423 learners of all ages.  www.csv.org.uk

2.    The Red Reading and Reminiscence Boxes project will work with care establishments in Kent and Medway that receive Kent Libraries and Archives’ Red Box resources. Boxes of books, audio visual materials (such as spoken word books, films and music) and reminiscence items are delivered to care establishments  several times each year.  The volunteers will identify people’s existing interest and enthuse new ones, and help people enjoy the boxes and feel part of the wider community.  Volunteers of all ages will be welcomed.

3.    CSV has been awarded a grant of £226,375 over three years under the Reaching Communities programme of the Big Lottery Fund

4.    CSV has been delivering Kent Libraries and Archives’ Time2Give volunteering programme since 2005, building on the on the success of the CSV Lending Time Project.  Time2Give currently has around 1500 volunteer placements, with volunteers ranging in age from 13-93, and received a Libraries Change Lives award in recognition of its inclusive approach to volunteering.  The activities undertake vary from Computer Buddies helping customers with IT, to Library Gardeners, and from Homework Club hosts to Knit and Natter.  Volunteers do not replace paid staff, but enhance and enrich libraries with additional support.