Extra Time Hubs with Wigan Athletic Community Trust has been a lifesaver for David and his wife Carys
Extra Time Hubs with Wigan Athletic Community Trust has become the highlight of David and his wife and carer, Carys’ week.
Before joining the sessions, David struggled with illness and was in and out of the hospital regularly until he, unfortunately, had to have his leg amputated. Shortly after, David was also diagnosed with mixed dementia.
With Carys taking on the role of his carer, the pair were adjusting to David’s condition and his new life in a wheelchair. While dealing with the adjustment, they found themselves increasingly isolated and simply unable to meet new people or engage socially.
That was until they were referred to the Extra Time Programme by a Community Link worker to help them re-engage with the community while also giving Carys a chance to relax and unwind while knowing that David still had support around him.
The pair have become a staple of the Extra Time Hub at Wigan Youth Zone ever since joining their first session. The session has become “the highlight of their week” while enabling them to build new friendships, increase their mobility and gain a new lease on life.
The Extra Time Programme, originally created by the EFL Trust and funded in partnership with Wigan Athletic Supporters Club, hosts weekly Extra Time Hubs at Wigan Youth Zone and Leigh Miners with the aim of tackling loneliness and social isolation amongst our elderly community.
The Hubs enable retired and semi-retired people make the most of their free time and enjoy doing the things they want to do. With friendships, support and being the socially active forefront of the Hubs aim, participants decide what they wish to take in with various activities on offer from quizzes to walking football.
Speaking about her enjoyment of the sessions, Carys said:
“Before coming to the Extra Time Hub, he [David] was very poorly for a couple of years, in and out of the hospital, and then unfortunately, he had to have his leg amputated.
“And then he was diagnosed with mixed dementia. We were just getting used to the fact that he was now in a wheelchair, but we weren’t seeing people. It was just impossible to do it at that particular time.
“A Community Link worker came to the house and suggested that we come here. So she made a referral to Christine [WACT Extra Time Hub Activator], and within a week, we came here.
“From the minute we came in, you could sense there was a lovely atmosphere. We were greeted by Christine, smiling. We were introduced to different people, and we’ve been treated as we hadn’t been for quite some time, to be honest.
“And my husband has found that he can move around and do things, there’s space here for him to do things and he’s really enjoyed doing the activities.
“As far as my husband and I are concerned, it’s been a lifesaver.
“It’s the highlight of the week for us. We’ve been making new friends with people as well.
“Everybody’s so friendly. They can’t do enough to help us.”
Her thoughts were echoed by her husband David, who added:
“I’m used to doing things myself, and I can’t do them now, so I get a bit frustrated, but I try and let it go and carry on doing what I can, and I’m enjoying myself, really.
“All the staff, they’re helpful, they’ll explain everything,
“I enjoy myself, and I look forward to coming every Tuesday, and I feel better for it.”
Adrian Bradley the EFL Trust’s Health and Wellbeing lead, explains, “With Extra Time Hubs we set out to do something different. Activities for Older people tended to be small coffee morning or bingo sessions. We want to create a social community of people in their retirement years who meet regularly to socialise and to do the things they enjoy, not what we tell them they should enjoy. We focus on the social side of the hub and help people to feel better by reducing their social isolation and loneliness. By getting people more socially active we nudge them towards more a physically active lifestyles – it’s health by stealth.”
