ROSS MATTERS!
The members of Ross and District U3A welcomed four speakers to their monthly meeting in May. This is somewhat unusual, but there was a good reason. These speakers told us all of the good works their organisations do for the town of Ross, its community and its environs.
First to speak was Denis Humble, who informed us of 'enviroability' and how we could benefit from their work. Although we all live within this area, I think few of us appreciated the scope of all the projects on offer. He then went on to tell us of Ross Shop Mobility,a subject dear to some of our hearts. The other speakers came in, on cue, driving the mobility scooters, which are available FREE from their base alongside Ross Swimming Pool in Red Meadow car park. He spoke of the liaison with WRVS which enabled people to either be taken to the scooter, or the delivery of the scooter to them!
Second to speak was Janet Macdonald from the local branch of Age Concern. She told
us how from varied referrals Age Concern can help support the older members of our
community. (Older meaning from 50 upwards, in general.) She listed the areas in which
they have become involved with people. They give advice and information, organise
visits and/or telephone calls to the lonely, offer foot care services and exercise
classes, have a handy-
Janet then handed over to her colleague, Hilary Davies, who is the administrator
for the S T E P A C R O S S project, organised by Age Concern. Hilary explained
that this project title was an acronym for their aims to Support To Enable People,
Age Concern ROSS. No problem is too big, or too small for them to tackle, if they
didn't have the facilities to help, then they know where to look. When meeting with
a new client they tend to assess immediate needs, and then other things crop up.
They look to the individual's health and safety, security, and involvement in activities.
They can provide a network of support to make quality of life better. They have
'Wise and Well' group meetings where people can experience gentle exercises, Tai-
Last, but not least, was Debbie Griffiths from WRVS. She knew that some of our members were aware of some aspects of the work of the local WRVS, because she recognised her volunteers. She was passionate in her praise of the way that all volunteers give of their time to help others less fortunate than themselves, and her voice broke as she extolled the fact that with so many people volunteering for so many charitable causes "Ross has a very strong beating heart in its community." I think we were all familiar with 'Meals on Wheels' as it used to be known, but the WRVS now offer a frozen meals service delivered to your home, luncheon clubs, afternoon clubs and community transport services. Managing to get the people who need help to their social,
medical or family commitments. She added that any member of the U3A who found travel difficult to meetings could call upon their services.
After listening carefully to all the speakers, questions were then asked from the
floor. A response to a question from one of our members caused quite a commotion.
The questioner asked whether we might be getting any replacements for the rather
worn out 'blue-
the chairman to appraise the Herefordshire Council of the meetings feelings, and added that perhaps the media should know too. (This has been done, and it is now quite a talking point in the town.)
The meeting concluded with members availing themselves of the opportunity to ride
on the scooters, and fortunately no-