Hello all
Welcome to Connect Hackney’s December Newsletter. It has been a year like no other, and a year where our projects have really had to be creative and adaptable. There have been numerous challenges, and pre-existing inequalities have really been illuminated and exacerbated.
But that has meant it’s been a year of great learning and huge leaps forward, a year of shifts in the way we work, the way we live and interact, and the way we engage our older people participants. It has been testing, and yet enormously inspiring. So with that in mind…
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Ho Ho Ho! Good news: Connect Hackney is being Extended until 2022!
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Connect Hackney, along with our 13 Ageing Better partners, were invited to apply for an extension for an additional year of activity.
We are happy to announce that The National Lottery Community Fund has agreed to Connect Hackney continuing until March 2022.
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Connect Hackney will look and feel slightly different than in previous years, as we are scaling down the number of funded activities, with our focus for our final year being on:
- Digital Inclusion
- Ethnically Diverse (previously referred to as BAME)
- Community Connectors
Unfortunately, this does mean that our funding relationships with some of our delivery partners within our other remaining four commissioning stands (Community Activities, Learning Disabilities, Men, Complex Needs) will shortly be coming to an end; however we will continue our support where possible. We want to extend our deepest thanks for your hard work.
We are currently in the process of re-commissioning projects from the commissioning strands set to continue, and will be making further announcements in the New Year.
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Top tips to get older people online for the first time, via remote phone calls!
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Read the blog article by Fiona Baird and Michael Tiritas, from Newham New Deal Partnership.
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Fiona and Michael glean the best learning from their vital experience over the past year to bring you tips for volunteers and staff as well as tips to share in advance with older people you might be supporting. This is really valuable knowledge and worth taking a read!
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Would be useful even to help an older relative over the coming weeks to make the transition to being online ready and able for Christmas video calls! You can read their article on our website here. Thanks Newham New Deal Partnership.
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Connect Hackney learning event - Ageing well:
finding solutions for older people’s isolation
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We had a rich and informative online learning event on 26 November, with just under 60 attendees joining for the two and half hours of presentations and workshops. Thanks to all those who were able to attend.
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We had lively discussions in the workshops, which have provided us with some useful suggestions to take forward.
The event marked the first of series of events at which we’ll be sharing learning from across the Connect Hackney programme; providing a forum for various partners including commissioners, policymakers and frontline workers, as well as older people themselves to come together and collaborate to find solutions for addressing the issue of loneliness and isolation amongst older people in Hackney.
We had some fantastic informative presentations and, as promised, please click here to access links to presentations, as well as a summary of learning from the workshops held:
- Loneliness: The national context, presented by Kate Jopling, independent consultant.
- An in-depth study of digital inclusion projects for older people before and during the Covid-19 pandemic, presented by Cathy Salisbury, University of East London.
- Co-production, partnership working and system change – Professor Angela Harden, University of East London.
- Groundwork London – Digital Inclusion project case study, presented by Naomi Freeman, Senior Community Project Officer at Groundwork London.
- Summary of learning from the workshops on systems change and on digital inclusion (pre and post Covid-19).
Thanks to all our speakers which, in addition to the above, includes Cllr Yvonne Maxwell who spoke to the local context and Cllr Chris Kennedy who closed the event with a rallying of positivity.
You can find further Connect Hackney programme learning here, including a range of short films and key messages documents, as well as access to our full range of programme evaluation reports here.
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Hackney Senior magazine - download digital version
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The December edition of Hackney Senior is now out. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this edition of Hackney Senior.
Contents in this edition include:
- Freedom pass restrictions
- Connect Hackney update
- The media group
- New Year’s resolution
- What’s cooking?
- What’s on
Click here to download a digital copy of the latest Hackney Senior magazine.
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Season’s Greetings from Connect Hackney
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Finally, we want to say a huge thank you to all those we have worked with, and to all those doing great work across our borough. It has been testing at times, but you are all so appreciated and really add to the great community that thrives in Hackney.
We would like to give a special thank you and standing ovation (or sitting, no one can see you!) to all the Connect Hackney delivery partners of 2020. It has been a joy and you are all absolutely fantastic and doing invaluable work, truly changing lives for the better.
We wish everyone a wonderful seasonal break and a Happy New Year – may it be filled with good health, vibrant community and greater equality!
From Sarah and the Connect Hackney Team
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