Guild Care opens new community office in Worthing
Worthing’s leading social care charity, Guild Care, held a launch event on Friday, July 26 to officially open its new Community Office in Portland Road, Worthing.
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00:00Hi, so my name is Peter Kinsey, I'm the Chair of Trustees of Guildcare.
00:04I'm delighted that we've opened our new facility here right in the centre of Worthing.
00:08So it's a great base for our home care service and our new information and advice service.
00:15So people can walk off the street if they need advice about supporting an older person,
00:19someone with dementia or a person with a learning disability.
00:23And right next door here we've got our fantastic new shop selling incredibly high quality
00:28clothes and toys for children.
00:31All the money that we generate from our shop goes towards the various charitable services
00:36that we provide, including our Creating Connections service that helps older people who are socially
00:42isolated meet up, have social contact and improve their general sense of wellbeing.
00:48So I'm absolutely delighted to be here and a big thank you to the team who have made
00:52this possible today. Thank you.
00:55So I'm here today with Henna Chowdhury, the former Mayor of Worthing, who is now the patron
00:59of Guildcare as they open their new centre in the heart of Worthing.
01:02So Henna, what can you tell us about your new role and what it will involve?
01:05Well, I'm really super excited. I was really honoured when Alex actually approached me
01:10to see if I would be interested to become a patron and it was just something I would
01:14never have dreamt of.
01:16Because coming to Worthing as a child and working in Worthing as a counsellor and now
01:22becoming the most leading Guildcare in the whole of the UK, I must say that it's like
01:28part of a brand that everyone knows what Guildcare is.
01:31And I feel really honoured to be part of this because I also have a mother who is a dementia
01:36and she's got some Alzheimer's as well, so I can understand the behind of the Guildcare,
01:43their mission, vision and their aims.
01:47And I'm just really excited to be part of it and to promote wherever I'm going, the Guildcare
01:54and the good work they do and the value they have.
01:57And it's just wonderful to be part of this.
02:00And how brilliant is this new centre in the heart of Worthing?
02:02Oh my gosh, this is just amazing. This is just a perfect location because you can see
02:07Worthing has changed and it's really vibrant and people are moving in.
02:11And it's just a perfect location because you cannot miss it.
02:14And it's wonderful because anyone can access it, anyone can access it.
02:18I think that's the most important thing is where you're going to be based.
02:21And it's just a perfect location for people.
02:25So I'm here today with Ipsha Chowdhury, the Mayor of Worthing at the new Guildcare Centre in Worthing.
02:29So Ipsha, how pleased are you to be here today? I mean how amazing is it?
02:34I'm delighted to meet the residents, the support workers, the management and especially the
02:42service they are providing. It is very significant that we, especially for our elderly residents
02:49that in their homes they have facilities where they will be feeling comfortable and safe
02:57and it will be an enjoyable environment for them.
03:01And Guildcare is ensuring that. I'm pleased to see that so much work goes behind
03:08and everything they are doing for our communities and for our elders and those vulnerable ones
03:15is in safe hands. It's great to learn about it.
03:18How important is it to be in the centre of Worthing where you've kind of got a lot of footfall
03:22and people that can see and just want to wander into the shop?
03:25It is, I mean this is, I mean this place, especially in the heart of Worthing Town Centre
03:32because this is a prominent precinct where you have lots of people coming from different parts of the town
03:41and from surrounding towns. It is a great location where the shop will be visible
03:48and people will learn more about the service and if anyone needs care or their loved one needs caring
03:56they can contact Guildcare and Guildcare will be obviously happy to support
04:01and provide the essential services that we require in our communities.
04:06So it's a great community bonding. So I thank Guildcare for their excellent work
04:14and I wish all the best and success for the organisation.
04:21Fantastic. And how have you found being Mayor of Worthing and what are your objectives for the town
04:25in the coming months and years?
04:26I mean it is a great honour. I moved to Worthing in 2001 as a teenager and since I've lived in Worthing
04:35I've always been involved in local activities, community activities.
04:40I love helping people, engaging with different social activities for pleasure.
04:49Being a councillor and a mayor isn't tedious because you become the link for the people
04:55and especially becoming the mayor gives a chance to meet and greet different groups of people
05:01from different parts of the town and you also promote your town and your heritage
05:08and I'm delighted and honoured to work in town, long live Worthing.
05:14So I'm going to say a few words, I won't be very long at all, but before I do that
05:20I'd like to introduce you to a very special person who's come along today
05:25to say a few words who will be much more exciting and much more entertaining than me.
05:35Good afternoon, it's lovely to be here with you all today in this new community office.
05:40This is my story. Having the support of Guildcare has made all the difference to my life.
05:47My family doesn't live nearby and about three years ago I found myself needing some extra help.
05:54As you get older some things become a bit more challenging, like washing and dressing.
06:01For the last few years carers from Homecare have visited me every morning and evening
06:07for about half an hour, helping me with these daily tasks and even washing my hair.
06:17They also help with things like shopping and cleaning which helps me keep on top of things.
06:25I've always found all the carers are so friendly and willing to help.
06:30They're not just here for the practical things before I had nobody to talk to
06:36and their visits give me someone to talk to each day.
06:42We always try to find time to chat over a cup of tea or coffee and that brightens my days.
06:50I also go along to Guildcare's Creating Connections group for bingo and table tennis.
06:58I've been going for two years now and it's a wonderful way to get together with other people and have some company.
07:10On Wednesdays I sometimes call the numbers for bingo.
07:14It was a role I took on that was something new for me, but if you don't try you don't know what you can do.
07:25I've learned a lot.
07:27Friday mornings I play table tennis which I played this morning, which I enjoy.
07:32I used to play table tennis in my younger days.
07:37These groups are really enjoyable and give me something to look forward to each week.
07:44The transport service from Guildcare is a lifesaver.
07:48It means I can get out and about.
07:51They pick me up from the home and take me to Creating Connections.
07:56The drivers like Tony, Glenn, Phil and Bob are all very friendly and reliable and they make sure I get home safely.
08:07They come and collect me for Guildcare's Sunday lunches every other month and the Christmas day lunch.
08:20It's good to meet up with others and meet new people as well.
08:25The Guildcare team are very good, all of them are good.
08:30They are reliable, friendly and always ready to help.
08:33Thank you for listening and for being here to support our community.
08:38So this is our latest community resource.
08:48But obviously working in the community is nothing new to us.
08:51We've been around since 1933 as an organisation.
08:56When pre-welfare state, pre-NHS, a group of very dedicated and inspirational volunteers got together and recognised that there was a need in the community.
09:08That potentially another section of the community might be able to assist with.
09:12It's those very principles that we hold dear today.
09:17It's that DNA which has driven the latest version of our strategy which is to reduce social isolation and social stigma in older people.
09:27We also work with specifically people living with dementia and people of all ages with a learning disability.
09:33You can't escape that now because it's around so I don't even need to memorise it anymore.
09:41I can just look up and read it and you'll see these all around our organisation which is absolutely brilliant and a reminder of what we're here for.
09:50But actually I think if those founders in 1933 were to think about what's going to happen in 2024, what's society going to be looking like,
10:02I think they would probably be a little bit horrified about the state of some things.
10:09We know that around about 2,000 older people are going to go to bed tonight not having seen anybody for a month.
10:17It's unacceptable and we're here to do something about it.
10:24There are people that are battling the authorities to get their child in education that might need a statement or an education and healthcare plan.
10:36There are people living with dementia that just can't afford or don't have access to the appropriate information, advice, care and support.
10:45These things shouldn't be part of a modern day society and I think our founders in 1933 probably would have hoped that those things didn't exist.
10:56But I do think they would be proud about what Guildcare is doing today and our social impact.
11:02What we are doing with the help of many people in this room, what we are doing to combat those exact issues and to reduce social isolation and social stigma in those three groups of people,
11:13I do think they would be very proud of what we have achieved and what we continue to achieve.
11:19So today is a monumental day as I said and I think this site and this office is more than just an office.
11:29Actually it's an indication of what we plan to do in the community to recognise that there needs to be a more comprehensive and accessible community care provision in Worthing
11:45so that we can help people get out of hospital, help give people the care and support that they need in the environment that they choose and is appropriate to them.
11:56Thank you.