Community Impact Award - SHirley Kennett & The Active Ageing Volunteers

Our Community Impact Award honours individuals or groups who have created real and lasting change. Our winners, Shirley and the volunteers at our Active Ageing session have certainly achieved this.

This group has transformed a small weekly gathering into a lifeline for older members of our community. Through their dedication, warmth, and humour, they’ve created a place where people feel seen, valued, and connected.

At a time when loneliness and isolation can be all too common, their work is making a genuine difference at the heart of our local community.

Having started from scratch in March 2022, the sessions now see up to 60 older people attend each week.

The programme is held weekly at Saint Joseph’s Roman Cathloic Church in New Malden, where participants can take part in gentle exercise, social games, and group activities, followed by time to socialise over tea, coffee, and light refreshments.

Delivered in partnership with The Nelson Health Centere, Active Ageing is designed to provide accessible and enjoyable activities. Sessions include chair-based exercises, indoor games such as boccia and curling, quizzes, and board games.

The warmth and kindness of this incredible group of volunteers helps to alleviate feelings of loneliness and isolation, fostering a sense of community among participants.

Our Health and Wellbeing Lead, Chloe Turner, explained that the participants have really good feedback for the volunteers and the sessions, as they “provide them with a safe space to come together with friends and people they’ve never met before, so they can build new connections and build on the relationships they already have”.

Shirley Kennett started the sessions in 2022.

Shirley Kennett, who started and runs the sessions, said her favourite memories are when they’ve taken the group out, because of the “pure joy” it puts on the faces of the participants.