Sure Start to Later Life

Sure Start to Later Life provides a range of services and support for Halton residents over 55.

Ways we can help:

• Supporting people to maintain or regain independence and remain in their own home.
• Supporting people to socialise more, make new friends or reacquaint with old friends.
• Identifying local activities in the community to improve social engagement or to learn new skills.
• Navigate local services that may be of use (e.g. social care, benefits etc.).
• Reduce social isolation and loneliness and improve wellbeing.

Information Service

Sure Start to Late Life is more than just an information service, but this is often how most clients first arrive at the service, looking for help and information on a variety of subjects.

This may be because they need support to navigate local care services, help to obtain equipment to help in their daily lives and to keep their independence, or they want to find out more about activities and events in the community they can take part in to improve their social life.

Often we can support the person’s family members as well as the client themselves.

Our first step is to carry out a comprehensive assessment of the client’s needs, this will be carried out by a dedicated 1:1 worker at the client’s home or over the phone.

This assessment covers areas such as finances, home maintenance, personal safety, social engagement and health. The team can also offer advice and information about other health and lifestyle services such as stopping smoking, eating more healthily, and mental health and wellbeing.

We can refer clients onto other social and health services including suppliers of lifeline equipment, social care, community groups and GPs.

A big part of what we do is working with clients to reduce social isolation and loneliness by linking them with community groups and resources in line with their hobbies and interests.

Following the assessment, we provide clients with the information and tools to help them to make informed choices. We follow up and monitor outcomes at regular intervals.  

Examples of how SS2LL helps

A client who had recently moved to Runcorn from Warrington and did not know the area and felt isolated with no friends or family living locally. SS2LL put them in touch with local community groups and invited her to the Get Together events and she is now very active in her community, making new contacts and getting to know the area. She still contacts SS2LL when she needs support or advice. 

Get Together Events

Our Get Togethers are afternoon tea events offering live entertainment, food and drinks, activities and opportunities to meet with other local support teams. They take place in Runcorn and Widnes with places for up to 80 people.

As well as giving people a chance to socialise with friends, old and new, it can also offer some respite for carers for a few hours too.

Loneliness and isolation affects a huge portion of our local community, young and old alike. The Get Togethers are a great way to bring people together and help them make new connections. For many attendees who may otherwise be housebound, these events are an invaluable lifeline. 

For those coming for the first time, our team and volunteers are on hand to help make new connections and put them at ease.

We find that these events are often the first step to getting out and meeting new people and lead to developing long term friendships and being more active in the community.

There is a small charge for coming along to each event of £7.50 which covers food, drink, entertainment and venue hire, though we also hold free events in June, October and December to coincide with Loneliness Awareness Week, Older People’s week and Christmas.  

Venues (2024)

Upton Community Centre, Widnes - August, October, November, December

Grangeway Community Centre, Runcorn – July, September, October, December

For more information, dates and to book a place call the team on 01928 569498 or email ss2ll@halton.gov.uk​

Chat with the Team

The SS2LL team hold regular drop in sessions at Grangeway Community Centre in Runcorn where both members of the public and professionals can come along and discuss how the team can support them.

No appointment is necessary, but if you want to have a chat about something specific, give us a call on 01928 569498.

Volunteering

Currently the team coordinates a volunteer befriending service but there are plans to extend the volunteering scheme to cover more roles.

Befriending Volunteer

Befriending provides a valuable service to those who are housebound, isolated or lonely.  Our Volunteer service can support clients in their own home or help clients get out in the community, they are here to support those who may feel lonely and isolated and need an extra helping hand.

As a befriender you might be expected to help your client get out and about to activities in the community (such as our Get Togethers) or simply visit your client for a chat and a cuppa, to help them feel less isolated. Our volunteers also provide help with using smart phones and the internet for example, which can help keep in touch with family and friends.

During the pandemic the team began a telephone befriending service, which continues to be popular today.

Many of our volunteers have themselves struggled with isolation and loneliness but by volunteering they have found a new sense of purpose and have improved their own mental wellbeing.

All volunteers have a full induction period, training, DBS check and must provide references prior to working with any client, and are supervised by the team with regular contact and reviews of any support provided. The SS2LL team coordinate an introductory visit with clients prior to commencement of any support. 

If you would like to find out about this and other volunteer roles, please get in touch with the team.

How to contact us

Referring to us is easy, a family member, friend or someone who is already working with the person can make the referral, with the individual’s consent.

This can be done by calling us on 01928 569498 or email ss2ll@halton.gov.uk.  

Information for Professionals

Outreach

If you would like the team to come along to a team meeting or event to introduce our services to your staff and service users, please get in touch.  We welcome referrals from professionals such as GPs, NHS teams and other health and social care agencies.

Call 01928 569498 or email ss2ll@halton.gov.uk.