Cherishing the elderly, through sport therapy

Aim

The funding will support provide community and sports therapy activities for free, on demand, creating a safe space for more disabled people

We are Cherishers 811

Cherishers 811 CIC is rooted in rural Staffordshire and provides care and support in that area. We empower the Elderly & Disabled to stay active while living with a disability.  We respond to the community needs by providing focused care, community, and sports therapy activities for free, on demand.

Cherishers is Community led as we truly give a voice to those who need care in our community. We deliver activity in areas experiencing social and economic deprivation, as a rural community and focus on support for disabled people, and those from lower socio-economic groups. This includes home care, shopping, collecting prescriptions and sports therapy activities such as Adapted Chair Based Aerobics, Adapted Zumba, Adapted Pilates, adapted cycling and Stretching for The Elderly.

What we do currently...

Our community space currently can host 8 vulnerable people -  but we need your help to be able to host more people! As well as improving the fitness of the of our elderly community, our adaptive sport initiatives help tackle loneliness by removing isolation. 

What we can do with your help

We need YOUR HELP to adapt and modernise our outside space so it is a welcoming and sociable place, Covid secure and accessible to everyone. In order to be able to continue making the area accessible to all, we urgently need to adapt the old courtyard and bring it into use.

You are helping us 'Build Back Better' after the pandemic, by addressing the health and wellbeing of vulnerable people, enabling them to participate in cycling and sports activities in a safe space. With the terrible economic impact, we have more demand for our therapies and classes.

Our adaptive sport activities have been a great way to overcome social isolation and something that people of all ages can get involved with. Such activities are even a good way for those in who attend our wellbeing room to come together and participate on a regular basis.

Some of the adaptive sports we provide:

• Adapted Chair Based Aerobics 
• Adapted Volleyball: Using a fabric covered inflatable ball and bunting in place of an official net.
• Adapted Weightlifting: using resistance exercises using foam pool noodles, and the use of everyday objects such as water bottles as hand weights.
• Adapted Boccia: modified them for older adult settings, by using of bean bags in place of specialist bowling balls.
• Adapted Zumba 
• Adapted Pilates 
• Adapted Cycling
• Stretching for The Elderly

We have an outside courtyard at the back of our community shop in which we would like to convert into a space that can welcome 20 vulnerable members at any time for adaptive sports activities, increasing capacity by 150%

We now need your help to make this happen - Not only do we want to keep everyone COVID secure, we want to continue to develop our sports and wellbeing therapies so we can offer them to more vulnerable people.

There is a window of opportunity at the moment where Sport England, under their ‘Active Together’ Crowdfunding initiative, will consider matching up to 50% of our initial target. We are going to apply for it and want to try and take advantage of the potential match funding from Sport England.  

Our Target

Cherishers 811 is aiming to raise £10000 to modify our courtyard and build an new disabled changing room as well as purchase the equipment needed to keep the sport participants safe and running throughout the different weather seasons. If we manage to raise more  we will develop an increased range of sports therapies so more elderly and vulnerable people can benefit from sport.  We are targeting the purchase of adapted bikes so that these can be used within our new space and the maintenance of unused bikes so that people can find their way back to cycling.

Before Covid we were working on plans to update the facilities, to potentially increase the number of spaces available for our sports therapy classes and find a place to host the events securely, then we had a MASSIVE uplift in demand for our carer and befriending services so we had to put our plans on hold. Help us to make our dreams a reality!

With your help we can change people’s lives.  Our ethos is to encourage ‘participation’ regardless of mobility or ability, experience, age, gender, background, or mental /physical capacity.  We want to provide more care, more therapy, more befriending, and activities for those who have a very challenging time being carers. We refuse to accept that coronavirus will impact upon our vision of Cherishing the elderly and vulnerable!

What we will do

Increasing the space available for adaptive sport activities will help overcome social isolation and enable more of those those in who attend our wellbeing room to come together and participate in adaptive sports. 

Our sports therapy activities include:

• Chair Based Aerobics
• Zumba
• Pilates
• Cycling
• Green Therapy
• Mental wellbeing exercises

Our outdoor recreation is focused on the disabled and elderly who want to feel in a 'safe space' whilst exercising.

With your help we will convert our courtyard to host 20 additional people for adaptive sports activities, doubling our capacity.

The economic situation means that people are not able to afford the care they deserve, they are also not able to afford additional therapies that can improve their mobility and wellbeing. 

Health and financial poverty are closely related issues, which both lead to worsened health outcomes as well as isolation and mental health issues. The economic issues from Covid mean more people need free yet compassionate care and companionship alongside active therapies to increase their mobility.

Cherishers will use the project to address the combined economic and health issues by providing free on demand sports therapy, care and support. Through our care vulnerable people are not alone.

What we will do with the funds raised

Monies raised will fund a disabled toilet/changing facility £6500, upgrade our outside yard / patio infrastructure to enable wheelchair and disability access £2000, and provide exercise equipment suitable for the disabled and elderly £500. We will additionally resource our careline £1000 to take bookings and deliver customer service.  

We have additionally applied to British Cycling fundraising for static bikes and to encourage repair of unused bikes so that people can find their way back to cycling.. As well as improving the fitness of the of our elderly community, our adaptive sport cycling initiatives help tackle loneliness by removing isolation. 

Why support us - A word from our cherished community:

“Dear Cherishers,
Thank you for much for the befriending service that you have provided me with over the past 6 months. As someone who is registered blind and has severe Multiple Sclerosis, I don’t know how I would have managed without your assistance. During this pandemic, your support has been a lifeline to me and an assurance to my distant family that I am being looked after. I simply cannot thank you enough you are wonderful people!”
 

“To all the lovely team at Cherishers thank you so for much for all the shopping that you have done each week for us. When the 2nd lockdown came just didn’t know how we would manage, we were fearful and afraid. Yet you beautiful stepped up and provided us with care, companionship and showed us true community spirit! We will always be appreciative of your support during this difficult time”.
 

“Cherishers what a kind-hearted, selfless and compassionate team! My mother and I both contacted COVID and was rushed into hospital (intensive care). Sadly, my mother died, and I survived however I was left physically disabled from the disease. After surviving Covid and coming home following 3 months in hospital you provided me with the support to rebuild my life! Yet nothing has been too much for you… from Hospital appointments, doctor trips, cleaning my home, picking up my prescriptions and doing my shopping! I can honestly say that without your friendship and services I don’t think I would have wanted to face the world anymore! I am able to move on from the loss of my Mother knowing that I have a new family with the team at Cherishers who genuinely care THANK YOU”

“Thank you, Cherishers, for taking me to my hospital appointments and to get my COVID vaccination! Being 86yrs old and unable to drive the thought of having to catch 3 different busses to get to my appointment during this pandemic terrified me greatly! Yet your friendly carers Sharon & Sarah have been incredible… I am so grateful”

Thank you again on behalf of Cherishers for all of your support - it means so much! 

On behalf of Cherishers for all of your support - it means so much!

 Please see our Rewards

All prints signed Iconic original professional photos of London from the Portobello London Gallery.

Size approx. 1m x 1m within mount borders.

London Bus Print, worth £100+  available for pledge of £75

London LOVE Print, worth £100+  available for pledge of £75

London Portobello Road Print, worth £100+  available for pledge of £75

London Underground Print, worth £100+  available for pledge of £75

This project successfully funded on 21st September 2021