Two minibuses which provide vital transport for an Isle of Man charity are to be sponsored by Dandara.
The award-winning developer will meet the running costs of the pair of 14-seat minibuses used by Isle of Man Live at Home Schemes to transport members to and from regular social groups around the Island.
Live at Home Schemes aim to enhance and improve the quality of life of the Island’s older generation, enabling them to remain in their own homes and participate within their local communities. The charity, which has more than 680 registered members, works to relieve social isolation and loneliness through the provision of innovative and creative social and befriending services which promote independence.
Among the services provided are one-to-one befriending, social groups, assisted shopping and transport to essential visits and appointments.
Area Manager Jo Dixon explained: ‘We have five operational Live at Home Schemes, with offices in Peel, Ramsey, Onchan, Laxey and Douglas, as well as our new Northern Men in Sheds Scheme, based at Ramsey Cottage Hospital.
‘Through those schemes, alongside our other services, we currently offer 28 social groups. Each reflects and responds to a variety of different needs, and we have lunch groups, coffee mornings, afternoon teas, shopping clubs, film clubs and men’s groups, which are currently being accessed by more than 700 of our members.
‘As transport is one of the main issues for older people, we offer transport to and from all our groups using our minibuses. This is a costly service, due to the price of insurance, fuel and servicing for example, so to have secured the support of Dandara in meeting these costs is a huge boost for the charity. It will allow us to enhance what we do and give us the potential to grow and develop our services, particularly to those in the more rural parts of the Island.’
Dandara Managing Director Seamus Nugent said: ‘Live at Home Schemes provide vital services across the Isle of Man, enhancing the lives of our older residents by providing many opportunities for social interaction and by promoting independence.
‘As a part of the Manx community we welcome opportunities to support initiatives and programmes aimed at improving the lives of Island residents, so we are delighted to be able to support the charity continue providing transport to help members access the social groups it runs. I also hope our support will allow Live at Home Schemes to expand its support services so more older members of the Isle of Man community are able to benefit from the charity’s hard work.’
Photograph - (from left) Dandara Senior Marketing Executive Angela Beresford, Live at Home Onchan Scheme Manager Anni Pearsall, Live at Home Manager Jan Farrell and Dandara Marketing Director Joanna Orton.
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