Sahahra has been in operation for thirty years, initially providing day care to elderly Pakistani men and women.  We work in the heart of a disadvantaged area of Derby,  where nearly all community resources for lonely older people, such as lunch clubs, have long gone.  In truth, some of the most isolated older people are now poor white residents.  In addition to low incomes, digital poverty is a massive issue, creating a barrier to securing medical appointments, accessing specialist support and also things like changing utility providers.  We now provide for all lonely elderly in our local area by offering social opportunities like coffee mornings.

Additionally, we sit with them and their carers to help them access web portals and secure appointments.  Though it has been five years since the covid pandemic, our users are still profoundly affected.  Nearly half of our users died during the pandemic, primarily through failing to secure timely medical attention for a range of conditions.  Our remaining users are deeply affected by loss and isolation, and many fear everyday tasks such as routine hospital appointments or even going into busy shops.  

Throughout the last financial year, we have continued to offer project-funded practical services.  Warm Hub funding through Community Action Derby and Awards for All funding has allowed us to continue coffee mornings, which cater to both local older men and women.  We have run events and workshops to ensure access to advice from specialist workers, such as those providing falls advice.  Young people have been affected by adverse social media disinformation about vaccines and have relayed bad advice to older family members.   We have been explicitly grant-funded to provide vaccination advice to persuade older people to take advantage of flu, pneumococcal, shingles, and COVID jabs.  We were also funded by ‘Your Voice Matters’ to enable work undertaken with young carers.

The last financial period allowed us to complete a Tudor trust project undertaken in partnership with Derby Bosnia Herzegovina Community Association, Derby Refugee Advice Centre and Hadhari (Caribbean elderly).  We have developed a pool of volunteer Community Health Educators trained in first aid and capable of providing information in community languages to their peers about the early identification of issues such as diabetes and heart disease.

We have arrived at the end of the financial year in a good financial state and shall continue to seek grants which meet and respond to changing community needs.

As chairperson, it remains to me to thank our board of local volunteer directors for their continuing support, to thank our Manager Jangir Khan and providing long hours of support including outreach to local elderly and finally to our regular volunteers Clive and John who have shared the responsibility of opening our centre in all weathers, ensuring it is tidy and helping with providing the comfort of users,  and also to the many volunteers who help with events.