AGE Friendly Melksham has welcomed a new member to the team to help support their work.
Phillipa Huxtable has been recruited to the role of Age Friendly Melksham co-ordinator to support the community interest company (CIC) with its work supporting people who are socially isolated, its promotion and encouragement to develop the town’s Age Friendly status, and its work supporting Melksham Community Response – the volunteer service set up in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Asked how she felt about her new role, Phillipa said, “I was so pleased to hear I had been chosen to take forward the work of Age Friendly Melksham, especially at such an exciting time, when there is a great opportunity to build on the success of the Melksham Community Response work.
“It has been amazing to hear how older, vulnerable and isolated users have appreciated being able to stay safely in their homes and protect themselves from Covid-19 because of the support of our volunteers.
“Volunteers have talked positively about their experiences too. They have enjoyed building new relationships with people they wouldn’t usually have met and have found the opportunity to help hugely rewarding.”
Phillipa is particularly keen that her extensive experience in volunteer management and hospice senior leadership will enable Age Friendly Melksham to work with the town and parish councils, social services and local organisations such as Melksham Seniors to create a three-year plan to develop Melksham’s Age Friendly status. Phillipa’s ambitions for the future include promoting and supporting work addressing social isolation and facilitating inter-generational projects, and bringing people in the community together so they can feel involved, heard and valued.
Chair of Age Friendly Melksham (CIC), Jon Hubbard added, “I’m delighted Phillipa has joined the team. Her wealth of experience and her passion about the Age Friendly cause will help turn the ambitions and aspirations of everyone involved in this work into deliverable realities.
“We want to work with everyone on helping further develop Melksham as an Age Friendly Community and the creation of the three-year action plan will be a great step towards this.
“As we face the challenges that winter will inevitably bring for many as Covid is still with us, I am confident that under Phillipa’s leadership, the MCS team will continue to support and deliver for our more vulnerable residents.
“I’m looking forward to working alongside Phillipa as we develop the service further.”
