This week it was announced that Worcestershire County Council has successfully bid for a £386,800 of Department or Children, Schools and Families funding to help 700 volunteers "break down barriers between young people and older people and help them engage with each other".
Six varied and innovative activities will take place in the County:
- Older people will help some of Worcestershire's 16 - 19 year olds apply for jobs
- Younger volunteers will help older people learn how to use computers
- A DVD of interviews with old and young volunteers from urban and rural communities will be made, capturing experiences of economic downturn
- Older and younger people from deprived areas will be brought together to work on an art project
- Interviews by old and young volunteers will highlight the differences in farming today and in the past
- Younger people who have lost their sight will assist members of the older generation whose sight is fading to come to terms with life ahead, whilst sighted young people will be reading to, visiting and assisting the partially and non-sighted older people with daily tasks
Harriett Baldwin, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for West Worcestershire said, "I am happy to congratulate Worcestershire County Council on winning this funding from the Department of Children, Schools and Families. The six projects sound like they will be rewarding for the 700 volunteers involved and for society. However, this is ring-fencing and micro-management gone mad. Four ministries allocated £5.5mm to pilot this campaign nationally. 132 projects were applied for and a two stage evaluation process had to be used to choose the winning projects. No less than four ministers are quoted in the press release - Dawn Primarolo, Minister for Children and Young People, Angela Smith, Minister for the Third Sector, Phil Hope, Care Services Minister and Minister for Pensions and the Ageing Society Angela Eagle. Has no-one noticed that Britain is in a debt crisis? Why do six projects for volunteers cost the taxpayer £386,800? It probably cost more than £386,800 just to allocate the money."