Alun Cairns MP Chooses Age Connects for £1k Donation

Alun Cairns, MP for Vale of Glamorgan, has nominated Age Connects, a local, independent charity, supporting older people, who are often lonely, isolated and vulnerable, to receive £1,000 donated by the trade body bacta, which represents seaside arcades, piers and related attractions.

 

He says, “This is an excellent example of industry supporting local charities and community campaigners.  Bacta do a great job in championing the needs of their industry that is important to Barry and other coastal towns but now they are also using their expertise to support Age Connects in Barry. 

The reason I nominated Age Connects is that throughout this Covid-19 period, they have collected prescriptions, delivered medicines and food for those who had no other help.  I work closely with their Senior Health Shop on Holton Road and pay tribute to what they do on a daily and weekly basis. 

They work hard all year round but in this Covid-19 time, they really have become the lifeline and I am delighted that BACTA have recognised their work and that of their volunteers.  I am sure that some of those receiving support will have been involved in the amusement and machine businesses on Barry Island, which is an extra special relevance.”

 

Teresa Power from Age Connects says, “We are delighted to have been nominated by Alun Cairn’s  to receive the grant of £1000 from Bacta. Alun has been a long-time supporter of our charity and of our Senior Health Shop on Holton Road the Charity’s health and wellbeing centre in Barry. Sadly, during the COVID 19 outbreak the shop has had to close its doors to the many people who visit every week but the staff and volunteers have remained busy helping those older people who have no-one to turn to for help with shopping and collection of prescriptions. In addition to this they keep in regular contact with those that are finding self-isolation particularly difficult. The grant will help towards maintaining this work. The Charity is and will be facing a big struggle keeping the Senior Health Shop financially stable during these really difficult times and grants like this are tremendously important if we are to maintain services in the area for older people in the longer term.”

 

 

Bacta launched its Siding With the Seaside (#sidingwiththeseaside) campaign last year in order to support the seaside communities served by their members and to highlight the lack of government investment that threatens the precious heritage in many seaside towns.

 

Bacta CEO John White says, “The situation was already serious for many seaside towns whose communities have suffered through lack of employment and local investment. However, when we went into lockdown just before the Easter holidays, the position became far more serious as local businesses were forced to shut and the seasonal trade, which is so vital, was lost. Our members made a total of £23,000 available to give to seaside charities via the MPs who we have got to know through our seaside campaigning work and who are best placed to know who would benefit most.”

 

 

ENDS

 

Editor information:

About bacta:

Bacta represents the owners and operators of seaside amusement arcades, over-18 amusement centres, and the companies that hire machines to pubs, clubs, bowling alleys, bingo halls and similar venues.  It also represents the manufacturers and distributors of all types of amusement equipment.  This can range from children’s rides, to jukeboxes, fruit machines in pubs and clubs, crane grabbers, penny falls, tuppeny nudgers, test your strength machines, videos, pool tables and gaming machines

www.bacta.org.uk

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