Wii consoles to boost activities for elderly
Pensioners in the Black Country will be getting active by playing computer games after lottery cash was awarded to buy game consoles.
Pensioners in the Black Country will be getting active by playing computer games after lottery cash was awarded to buy game consoles.
Age Concern Dudley has been awarded the £5,568 grant, which it will spend on Nintendo Wii's. The charity will equip each of its four borough drop-in centres with the devices and special large screen monitors and will also invite schoolchildren to come along and join in the fun. Age Concern Dudley supports 20,000 people through its centres and services every year.
Development officer Brian Phillips, said: "The consoles will be great fun but more importantly they are physically and mentally stimulating. Wii games are gentle but get you moving and thinking, which is what our clients want most.
"We know this scheme will be a success because we piloted it at an event recently and it was really popular.
"It was something new and innovative that lots of our members had never even contemplated doing before. We're keen to invite children to join in because we want this to be an inter-generational activity."
The project is one of three in Dudley to secure cash in the latest round of grants from Awards for All.
Also jumping for joy is Wollescote St Andrew's Scout Group, awarded £10,000 to run a healthy eating project for the entire community.
The youth group will develop a patch of land into 21 small allotments for use by locals young and old, as well as developing new kitchen facilities for cooking lessons.
Trustee of Wollescote St Andrew's Scout Group, Reg Oerton, said: "This scheme is not only for scouts but for everyone in the village – the more the merrier.
"There is a great demand for allotments in Wollescote and the ones that do exist are heavily oversubscribed.
"This is a chance to give children and adults the experience of growing their own food and learning all about healthy living while they're at it.
"Our kitchen will be used to show how to prepare and cook the vegetables they've grown properly, and we also hope to run flower arranging classes too."
Also receiving a grant is Redhill Volleyball Club in Stourbridge, awarded £9,820 to promote participation in the sport.
