1 st February 2011Generations Together - Reading Legacy Event for Generations Together / Inspiring Communities 1 st February 2011 Eland House, London Lorna Stanley Andrew Haydon

1 st February 2011Generations Together - Reading A series of 20 community group and schools-led projects. Culminating in Festival of Ages Involving 1,300 volunteers older, 650 younger. Benefiting a further 1,000 recipients and wider participants. Targeting the most deprived areas within Reading. Delivery managed by Age UK Berkshire & Central Berkshire Education Business Partnership, reporting quarterly to our Local Authority. Project Aims & Set-Up

1 st February 2011Generations Together - Reading Primary Desired Outcomes Improved perception of young people by older people. Improved perception of older people by young people. Increased ability to make a positive contribution to the life of the community. Increased involvement of educational institutions in the local community.

1 st February 2011Generations Together - Reading Achievements Delivery of 22 projects, working with volunteers from all areas of Reading. Recruited 1,357 volunteers. Benefited a further 1,406 wider participants and 372 recipients. Festival of Ages Evidence of success achieving all our desired outcomes through our local evaluation.

1 st February 2011Generations Together - Reading Biggest Challenges Enabling community groups & schools to understand intergenerational work. Consent from parents for under 16s to participate in national evaluation. Gathering sufficient evidence from participants. Changes in safeguarding legislation. Older Volunteer Recruitment: –Hard to reach groups –Males –Autumn/winter projects

1 st February 2011Generations Together - Reading Lessons Learnt (1) Level of success dependent on lead community group’s or school’s capability, willingness to learn, responsiveness to feedback and flexibility. Role of project management team & partnership working are vital in ensuring the activities stay on track. Developing a strong brand creates a visual identity, which aids PR and publicity. Budget for marketing and communications is important. Approaches to safeguarding need to be proportional to the level of risk posed.

1 st February 2011Generations Together - Reading Lessons Learnt (2) Older volunteer recruitment benefits from using multiple methods e.g. visiting groups, pooling existing resources like databases, networking. Evening and outdoor projects work best if started between March & October, when older people feel more confident leaving the house. People are happy to give feedback face-to-face, but can feel overwhelmed by forms and are suspicious of phone calls. Some of the best and most effective projects cost the least amount of money!

1 st February 2011Generations Together - Reading Festival of Ages 2010 Gala Day celebrations – showcasing some of our projects’ achievements. Let’s Sing – 250 people of all ages turning up to have a sing-song (in spite of torrential rain!) A selection of the Week’s Events: –Fit as a Fiddle Allotment Project –New Town Primary – Poetry & Music –Broad Street Mall Open Day –Ranikhet Primary – Tai Chi & Lunch –Blessed Hugh – Tea & Performances & Choir

1 st February 2011Generations Together - Reading Festival Challenges Buy in from community groups, no contractual obligation to participate in festival for: Performances at the festival (Stage fright!) Activities for the week Time of year – October was not ideal, July would have been better. –Ability to use (cheaper) outdoor venues. –Many schools project reached a natural conclusion at the end of July. –Easier to tempt older people outdoors when the weather is warmer and evenings are longer. Celebrity commitment for festival.

1 st February 2011Generations Together - Reading Recommendations for Future Work More time needed in planning phase before starting delivery (4-6 months rather than 5 weeks!) Develop commissioning process: –2 step process of application and presentation –More partner representatives on panel –Young and older people on panel More face-to-face evaluation techniques Start grassroots projects with less money, providing more funding dependent on success.

1 st February 2011Generations Together - Reading Any questions?

1 st February 2011Generations Together - Reading Contact Us Andrew Haydon – Schools Liaison Officer – Central Berkshire Education Business Partnership - – Until 31 st March 2011: Lorna Stanley – Project Officer – Age UK Berkshire - – Until 31 st March 2011: Generations Together Office, Age UK Berkshire, Huntley House, 119 London Street, Reading, Berkshire. RG1 4QA