The nomination was in recognition of twelve years of inter-generational work in Oldham.
The category we were in was for Community Organisations and split into different sections. Our section was for Age related projects, the others being Disability, Gender, LGBT and Race.
The Age section included two other nominees - the Asian Elders Resource Centre and the Northampton Youth Forum. The winners were judged to be the Northampton Youth Forum.
It would have been nice to have won overall, but, it was fantastic that our project was selected for the final shortlist and is national recognition for the value of the work we do in Oldham. By the end of next year we will be able to develop this work in the restored George Street chapel.
Our work was judged on a 10 week long inter-generational and ethnic project involving older people voluntarily visiting primary school children, sharing their favourite memories.
Maggie Hurley, our Volunteer & Community Co-ordinator praised the project for its success in allowing children to meet older people and boost their confidence.
The children have the chance to interact well with the volunteers on a one-to-one basis by asking them questions about their life and then publishing a brief biography for the school. One child was able to ask volunteer Haravadan Chauhan, born in 1946, about the time he moved to Britain from India and Kathleen Barnes about her famous cousin, Donny Osmond.
The volunteers are able to help show the children what their life was like. Edna Standring, who turned 93 this year, showed children an empty munitions shell like the ones she produced during World War ll.
Maggie Hurley and CEO, Yvonne Lee attended the prestigious awards evening, which was hosted by TV presenter and former Big Brother winner, Brian Dowling.
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