WEvolve Celebration @ Chai Centre Burnley

Engagement Officer Louise recently attended the Wevolve Celebration Lunch at the Chai Centre. 

I was invited to attend a celebration lunch held at the Chai Centre in Burnley, marking the achievements of a project funded by Age UK Lancashire. Unfortunately, the project can no longer continue due to the unavailability of funding.

The WEvolve Project was established in June 2024 by Age UK Lancashire as a six-week programme taking place in Pendle and Burnley, as a space to feel heard and address loneliness, which is prevalent among fifty-plus year olds who are struggling with their mental health. 

Humaira Khan (Senior Mental Health Practitioner) and Leah Pennington (Mental Health Practitioner), who were the group leaders, got up first to speak about the project and the impact it had had on all the individuals who had taken part in the project.

The first gentleman who got up to speak explained he was a veteran of the army. He explained his life blew up after leaving the army, his wife was diagnosed with cancer, and as a result, he began to suffer from depression and issues with alcohol. He was happy to announce how he was now three weeks sober and could not emphasise enough how attending this group saved him, as at times he had felt suicidal. As a result of attending the group and accessing the Chai Centre, he is now aware of other groups and activities that go on at the Chai Centre, and hopefully, he is looking to get involved in some of these.

The next gentleman who spoke was also a veteran and explained he had received no help when he came out of the army to adjust to civilian life. He threw himself into many volunteering roles for various groups, never realising that it was he who needed the help himself. He had tried to take his life three times. It was through his doctor that he was put in touch with Age UK, and I started to attend the WEvolve group

Both gentlemen claimed with great passion how the WEvolve group saved their lives.

In my role as engagement officer, I was fortunate to attend the WEvolve group, and I attended one of the last group sessions that was held. The participants all had their own individual inspiring stories of how they were feeling at the start of the group and the transformation in their mental health by the end of their sessions. They all expressed an increased confidence and how they felt supported or had been signposted to the appropriate service for the help they required.

I came away from the group feeling very inspired by the people I had met, but saddened to think the group could no longer continue due to a lack of funding. Funding issues are affecting many other groups that we attend throughout Lancashire.