Improving the lives of pensioners in Southwark

Southwark Pensioners Centre is a 30-year-old London charity whose mission is to “support older people aged 50+ to enjoy healthier, independent and more active lives, in touch with each other and their communities.”

Those goals are easier stated than achieved in an borough which features in the top 10 of those in the capital with the greatest number of deprived neighbourhoods.

That is why students from London College of Communication teamed up with staff and volunteers at the centre to work on a project designed to boost its profile and get its key messages out there to the local community and beyond.

The students were recruited by LCC under the banner of its Talent Works initiative, which encourages both undergraduates and post-grads to participate in a social enterprise programme, offering them paid work on projects that give something back to the community, and developing their personal and professional skills at the same time.

A range of charities, community groups, businesses and social enterprises in Southwark and neighbouring Lambeth have signed up with Talent Works in recent years, tapping into the huge variety communications skills that LCC’s students and staff are able to put to good use.

There is no charge for these client organisations who, more often than not, are treading a fine line between staying afloat and struggling to survive, despite the vital role they often play within their local communities.  

My visit to Southwark Pensioners Centre coincided with it hosting an afternoon disco for some of the area’s elderly – and often socially isolated – residents.

Director Cathy Deplesis said the centre holds these kind of events on a weekly basis and has seen pensioners from as far away as Dulwich joining in. “As you can see, we have members of the community doing their bit to contribute with the reception desk and setting up rooms for activities such as line dancing.

“We are a borough-wide organisation who have people coming through our doors from all areas of Southwark – especially in and around Camberwell”.

According to Age UK, there are around 2.4 million people in London over the age of 50, and one million of those are 65+. And the older people get, it seems, the more at risk of loneliness and social isolation they become, particularly if they have little or no family living locally.

Loneliness, poor social connections and living alone is said to be as bad for your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, so having places such as Southwark Pensioners Centre at the heart of our communities is as necessary for the elderly as antenatal care is to a new-born.

An abundance of smiling elderly faces is evidence that the centre does some great things for elderly people in the borough, but Cathy and her small team are keen to promote their activities to the widest possible audience, which is where Talent Works stepped in.

Illustration student Francesca Spinks was introduced to Talent Works by her course leader at LCC and assigned to work with Southwark Pensioners Centre. She headed off the centre for three days a week during the project, and said: “Not every job you take on is going to be based around things you’re personally interested in, so it disciplined me in a way.” 

Cathy said although some of the Talent Work support was for the centre’s social media presence, other things were also needed. “I completely get it, social media is the ‘thing’ right now, but it just doesn’t work as well with our audience. What we need is things on paper. Lots and lots of paper!”  

Although a pensioners centre may not have been her first choice for showcasing her talents, the complexities of the project allowed Francesca to explore new ways of utilising her creativity to suit a niche audience. It furthered her employability skills whilst learning that creativity has to serve particular purposes in the ‘real’ world.

“The programme really narrowed down my expectations of what it would be like to go out and work for clients. When I met with Cathy and the team, I had so many ideas and possibilities for the ways we could publish these print materials, but in reality a lot of my ideas weren’t suitable for their audience.”

Cathy pressed the importance of designing materials that were a perfecf fit for pensioners using large easy-to-read fonts, key colours and easy-to-navigate software.

She expressed her interest in taking on another LCC student from the Talent Works programme in March, when the centre has plans to launch a forum offering practical and emotional support to those with vision impairment by matching them up with volunteers and connecting them to activities within the Southwark community.

To find out more about Southwark Pensioners Centre visit
http://www.southwarkpensioners.org.uk/