A Wetherby charity’s newest addition says she cannot wait to begin offering activities to isolated older people who’ve spent months alone and behind closed doors.

Debbie Todd has joined Wetherby in Support of the Elderly (WiSE) as its new activities coordinator and will be responsible for providing social events to older people across the town and its surrounding villages.

Debbie is starting the role alongside her popular business, Angels & Butterflies, which provides creative craft workshops and parties for children and adults.

Debbie said:

“I already knew about the excellent work WiSE does for older people and felt that I have lots of skills and experience which I can bring to the role. As coronavirus restrictions continue to ease, I’m really looking forward to restarting the charity’s existing activities and bringing new activities to the current programme.”

“At Angels & Butterflies, I worked to deliver creative workshops for children and adults from 18 months old to 103, though the majority of my work was with younger children and teenagers. I’ve found that there are surprising parallels between what different age groups enjoy as when it comes down to it, we are all children at heart, and sometimes it’s just about the joy of taking part and having fun.

“Most activities can be adapted to suit all ages, and equipment can be modified to suit those who are less able or who are living with a disability. Some activities can even help to bring back memories for older people.

“During the pandemic, there has been an increase in social isolation, anxiety and mental illness from the enforced lockdowns. Therefore, being able to restart the charity’s core activities will really help our volunteers and friends.

“I have lots and lots of ideas and would like to gain feedback from service users to see what their interests are, as well as restarting existing popular workshops safely and in a way which will give people the confidence to attend.”

For more information about the activities and events offered by WiSE, please visit: https://w-ise.org.uk/our-activities/.