Director's Report

Welcome to our Annual Report, at this point I would like to thank all of the staff for putting this book together, for getting our report out to all our friends of G.O.P.W.A. especially Karen, Eileen and Colin who ensure the finished copy is perfect. Thanks also to Laura for producing our accounts figures. Our Day Centres this year have had a very tough job to make ends meet and still keep our very high standards to all clients, because of financial stress, well done to all our Managers and staff of the Day Centres and to Keith Mitchell, our Day Centre supervisor who through all his worry over his mum he still carried on. All thevolunteers at the Centres are second to none and we still have Helen aged 84 years and Anne Singleton at our David Cargill Centre working away like little beavers. We are grateful to all of you.

Our Neighbourhood Visiting Service is doing a great job as well as alleviating loneliness we are ensuring they are financially, through benefits checks, secure. Thank you for your hard work, Lynsey, Carolyn and Lynn and to all of our volunteers we are forever indebted to you for your loyalty to us at GOPWA.

David Cargill House residential home is still at the top with the Care Commission and this is due to the diligent and caring work led by Rosemary Walker, Abi and all her dedicated staff. Our three Social Welfare Officers Lynn, Maureen and Justin continue to be a huge success accessing benefits for senior citizens and their workload gets heavier all the time but they get on and do their job without complaint and with a smile.

Now our everlasting band of volunteers who do so many jobs for us, the running of the weekly clubs. The visits to the housebound, senior citizens helping senior citizens. GOPWA could not and would not survive without these wonderful people who give their most precious gifts to others - time and care. A huge thank you to Linda Muirhead and Liz Thomas for their magnificent 10k run, which raised over £2000 for GOPWA.

The Insurance services continue under the reins of Colin. Please remember this is your insurance it has been tailored by Age UK for older people so please consider using these services, thanks also to Liam, and to Jackie who has been ill for a while we wish you a speedy recovery.

We are managing as a charity to get our heads back above water. We have been very fortunate to have been nominated last year by Rangers Charity Foundation as their nominated charity of the year and BIP Solutions and Sainsburys (Partick) have chosen us as their Charity this year and I have and am enjoying working with them as we seek to raise funds for GOPWA. In Tunisia with one of our groups, (60 senior citizens) two of our ladies did a sponsored and unplanned paraglide which raised over £700 for our Charity, Well Done Isa and Violet you were very, very brave.

I am also indebted to our donors who never forget us – Thank You. In the present economic climate times are hard and lean for all local charities. We are indebted to Glasgow City Council for their interest in us and for financial help given to us for our Day Centres and Neighbourhood Visiting Service. The NHS has also funded our income maximisation in Elderpark and our David Cargill Centre again we thank statutory bodies for all their help to us. On Christmas Day we had a lovely day at the Fred Paton Day are Centre as we invited those senior citizens who would be alone on Christmas Day to come along. With the help of the drivers and a Radio Clyde listener who heard about the event and decided to come along and participate we brought fifty people together to celebrate a real Christmas.

We had a lovely dinner made by my husband Billy, Lynn’s Father Joe Campbell, Peter McLaren of the GOPWA Board, Joe Dougal and David Curry. I was a driver, Lynn her daughter Gina Kerr, her son Joe Dougal, Craig Barr and pupils from Rosshall Academy waited on the tables. My grandsons were also waiters and we were entertained by Phil McFarlane whose wife also helped us. It was so appreciated by everyone who was there and we all had a great time. We hope to do the same this Christmas. This is a special day when we should share our joy with everyone.

We were very fortunate to be chosen by Rosshall Academy through Ashleigh Moyes they held a non uniform day and collected £900 for GOPWA and these wonderful teenagers were so good on Christmas Day when they also sang carols to all of us. Once again I have to report on those whose lives we celebrated last year my best wishes and thoughts go to all of their families and friends.

My Brother Donald Urquhart, my Brother-inlaw John Glass, holidaymaker Bert MacKenzie, Gerry Murnin, former employee of the Donald Dewar Day Care Centre, Alice Craig of the Riddrie Friendship Club, John Glen of the Knightswood CE Wednesday Club, Donald McNair Convener of the Hillington Friendship Club, Bett Sibbald Convener of the Broomhill Friendship Club and Anne Murray, Convener of the Blawarthill Club, Betty McAllister, Convener of the Elcho Club, Joe Harkin, husband of Margaret Harkin from the Budhill Club and Gordon McNab of the Senior Citizen’s Choir.

My sympathy to Keith Mitchell, Day Service Manager, for the loss of his Mum Anne Mitchell and also to Irene Burrows, Warden at William Stewart House, on the loss of her Mum Irene Peacock.

I thank the Percy Bilton Charity for their Christmas Hampers, the pupils of Hillhead Secondary School, Francis Gay of the Sunday Post, Zurich Insurance, the Glasgow Inner Wheel Ladies who made beautiful Christmas boxes, Peebles Media Group and to those who gave up their Birthdays and Christmas gifts as a donation to GOPWA. My list would be endless if I named everyone who is a friend of GOPWA – so thank you to all of you.

There were special Birthdays this year among our volunteers such as John Connelly 95 years, John still runs the Cranhill Good Companions Club very successfully. Roddy Mulgrew 90 years and still in charge at the Rainbow Club. Jean Glen 90 years, who sadly lost her husband, John, but still carries on diligently with the Knightswood Wednesday Club and May Dillon 90 years, a very special friend of GOPWA, all of these people work hard for GOPWA and we love them all and wish them a Happy Birthday.

I feel because of all the loyalty and hard work of our staff, friends and volunteers GOPWA will see this year out without having to cut any of our services and to continue to do the wonderful job they do while still being the only “hands on” organisation for senior citizens in Glasgow and surrounding area.

Yours aye

Sheena