Age Concern Barnstaple invites you to join it for Christmas Elder Day

People in North Devon who are 60-plus are being invited to do their Christmas shopping with a little extra support next week thanks to Age Concern Barnstaple.

The charity is hosting an Elder Day event in the town centre on Wednesday, December 6 between 10am and 3pm.

With the weather now getting colder, volunteers will be running a bus station waiting room at The Voice FM by Barnstraple Bus Station between 10am and 3pm.

This offers anyone waiting for a bus a warm waiting room with free refreshments and accessible toilets. Volunteers can also help you on and off your buses and help you with your Christmas shopping bags too.

Plus there will be an Age Concern Pop-Up Help Desk in Green Lanes Shopping Centre, where Age Concern staff can support you with benefit and parking applications, Age Concern service information and service signposting, for example, for help with keeping warm at home and help with your energy bills.

A free Community Café is being run by Barnstaple Town Council in The Shambles (on the High Street at the Pannier Market entrance) where hot drinks and hot soup will be provided. Please do call in to warm up and refuel.

People are also invited to visit the Barnstaple Library Wellbeing Café, from 10am to 12noon and enjoy good company, refreshments and wellbeing support.

Children from Orchard Vale school will be singing carols from 11.30am to 12noon plus it’s an opportunity tpo meet Isabel Keen (working as Billy Ruffian) and Jack Ratcliff, who are Devon artists who have been commissioned to produce artwork for Exeter St Davids Station.

They will be taking pictures and making sketches of people to include in their St David’s art installation. Hot soup will be served between 12noon and 1pm.

If anyone needs to borrow a free wheelchair or an electric scooter to help them access Elder Day events, please contact Sarah Sime at Age Concern to book on 01271 445135.

Age Concern volunteers are also available to help with shopping, to push a wheelchair or accompany you from the bus station to the shops and back - please just let the charity know on the number below and that can be arranged.

Barnstaple Elder Day will now be running on the first Wednesday of each month.

If anyone has a little free time and can volunteer to support Age Concern services, please call Jill on 01271 445134.