After all the preparations for our 25-year Anniversary, the big day finally arrived. On 27th March at St Joseph’s Church Hall in Sale, past and current volunteers along with schools’ representatives and the Mayor of Trafford Councillor Amy White got together to reminisce and take pride in their accomplishments over the last 25 years. Springfield Primary School’s choir provided enchanting entertainment. We can’t thank them enough for their wonderful contribution to the day. The Founder of Intergen, Professor Norma Raynes kindly praised the resilience of the charity and Debbie Vrlec, representing the voices of our partner schools reminded all the volunteers of why they are such an important part of schools and on how much they seem to benefit from volunteering with children. The Mayor presented certificates to 12 volunteers with over 10 years of service, 8 of whom attended in person. Volunteers were treated to poems and various quotes from the children they support through a “Learning Together” competition. An afternoon tea, birthday cake and a quiz on the last 25 years further contributed to a very packed afternoon.
Barbara Caldwell, a volunteer expressed her pleasure. “The music was outstanding. It is always a pleasure to listen to school children sing, but they were exceptional today”. Maureen “Mo” Morris, a volunteer for 22 years, most of them spent at Wellfield Infant and Nursery School commented on the event. “I want to send a huge thank you to the trustees, co-ordinators, and everyone who worked so hard to make the 25th Anniversary such a huge success. Everyone on our table enjoyed the afternoon and from the laughter and chat on other tables, we were not on our own!!” Photos of the day can be found here.
The charity’s ethos is based on the benefits of intergenerational learning for both children and older people. Children benefit from the life-skills, time and patience of an older generation which itself benefits from feeling wanted and needed. The success of Intergen-Trafford can be measured in the number of volunteers who received a certificate from the mayor for continuous service of over 10 years with some reaching 22 years and even 25 years! and in the number of schools that have partnered with Intergen.
Intergen-Trafford hopes to make this anniversary a catalyst for renewed growth, following a few years of getting back to pre-Covid levels of volunteers. If you are over 50, with a few regular hours to give a week, this could be an opportunity for you to give back to the community, improve your wellbeing and help nurture the next generations.