By Rachel Cole, Projects Officer
Shaftesbury House is a RMBC sheltered housing complex close to Rotherham town centre. It is predominantly for people who are over the age of 50 or have a disability.
Back in May 2016 a couple of residents from Shaftesbury House contacted Rotherham Federation to see if we could help support them to start a group. We helped them write a constitution and open a bank account. The group started with three members and now three years on has over twenty members.
They now hold monthly meetings, weekly bingo sessions and weekly film nights. They have several day trips and hold regular parties for Easter, Halloween and Christmas in the communal lounge. They also have a party outside in the Summer. During the Summer they also get together on nice evenings to have food and a couple of drinks.
The group have had a couple of small grants from Rotherham Federation, but don’t receive any regular funding, they raise money themselves from either doing raffles, having bric a brac sales or one resident will bake and the other residents purchase the buns and cakes made. The residents hold Macmillan coffee mornings every September to raise money for cancer, last year they raised £430.55 which is amazing.
Many people living in Shaftesbury House don’t leave the building so these activities are really important to them. They are a great group of people who have gone from strength to strength over the past three years and I hope this will continue for the next three.