Taking our FerryFriends on a voyage

Ferry Friends is a new Creetown Initiative project which has been set up to combat loneliness among the Kirkmabreck parish’s older generation.
Project workers Diane White and Angie Bradford, helping keeping Creetowns elderly activeProject workers Diane White and Angie Bradford, helping keeping Creetowns elderly active
Project workers Diane White and Angie Bradford, helping keeping Creetowns elderly active

The Friends group was launched in October and since then it has welcomed more than 80 local senior citizens to a variety of events, activities and social occasions.

These have included chair yoga, a citizen’s advice coffee morning, quizzes, an afternoon tea dance and plant pot-painting and outings to the cinema to name but a few.

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Chris Hanna, the senior project officer for Ferry Friends, says he is delighted to play a part in bringing this three-year service to Creetown.

He said: “Creetown, like many small communities in Galloway, has a higher percentage of senior citizens compared to the Scottish average: 26.5% of its population are 65 years and over, in comparison the Scottish average of 16.8%, so it’s very important for communities to take into account of this generation when delivering services.

“The events aren’t just social, it’s about creating opportunities of support for example, an advice surgery by the Citizens Advice team, a 12-week support group delivered by the NHS for those living with chronic pain.”

Future plans include computer classes so that participants can get online and learn basic computer skills as well as how to stay safe online.

There are also plans to hold some intergenerational events between Ferry Friends and the Creetown Senior Youth Club.

Dianne White, one of the project workers, said “I am over the moon with the support from everyone in the village with attendance of events, and I’m loving everything we have planned for the coming year.”

Fellow worker Angie Bradford has just joined the team and said: “I’m delighted to be part of the Friends project.”