Friends of the Elderly receives stunning transformation thanks to community initiative
Dublin-based charity Friends of the Elderly received a stunning transformation thanks to Fleetwood Paints' Community Colours campaign.The volunteer-run organisation supports older people through friendship, social connection and practical support services. Last year, Friends of the Elderly was won of the winners of Fleetwood Paints' Community Colours campaign and used the free paint to transform their charity shop.The campaign sees Fleetwood Paints give away up to €1,000 worth of paint each day throughout the month of June to charities, community groups and sports clubs nationwide. Speaking to Dublin Live, Friends of the Elderly Fundraising & Communications Manager Deborah Costello told us they were "very lucky" to have benefitted from the initiative so they could give their charity shop, Ritzy Rags, a makeover."All of the proceeds from the shop go into running our programmes, so it's very public facing for Friends of the Elderly because all of our social events happen in our community hub," Deborah said."Because we don't receive any Government funding, in order to help create our programmes we have to raise funds. So part of that is the entire shop of Ritzy Rags."Being able to go in and give a fresh coat of paint really made it a welcoming space. A lot of our customers said it looks like a boutique now."It's also about sustainability and looking at our environment and respecting it. Giving people in our local community the opportunity to buy really good products at affordable pricing."We do clothing, books, CDs, DVDs so there's something for everyone. I suppose shops can get a bit tired and run down. We knew it needed painting but didn't have the funds to do it, so this was the perfect opportunity."I would encourage any organisation to reach out to Fleetwood for the Community Colours because it's a simple process. They really looked at it like 'how can we benefit the community?' They understood that those applying would probably be stretched in terms of admin. So the application was very simple."We worked through the branch in North Road in Finglas. They were just so helpful. It was great."Friends of the Eldery's impact over the last four and a half decades cannot be understated. The organisation has over 340 volunteers, made over 30,000 "friendly calls", delivered over 6,000 hampers and made over 7,000 home visits."Everyone of those are a touchpoint between a member and a volunteer and we can't do the work without our volunteers," Deborah said. "We're 46 years in Ireland working to alleviate loneliness and isolation. The only difference between when we opened our doors and today, is that there's been a 126 per cent increase in older people."The demand for our services has really risen. I suppose that's just the trajectory the world is in with an ageing population. One of the things we are trying to do is showcase positivity and promote positive ageing."We don't want people to feel all of the doom and gloom. That can happen, but we're trying to encourage people to age positively and embrace new ideas. We're constantly coming up with innovative ways of approaching things."We have an adult literary club running at the moment and that's run through music. It's called Voices and Verses and that's trying to build confidence in people who have gone years of not reading or writing., and managed, but now it's time to embrace it in a way that's meaningful for them."So it could be their favourite song and they're learning about the lyrics of the song and building their confidence to try and move forward. We do yoga and 'wingo', which is wine and bingo, on a Friday afternoon. We do day trips and overnight trips as well."Speaking about the campaign, Derek Byrne, Marketing Manager at Fleetwood Paints, said: "We’ve seen first hand the impact Community Colours can have on local groups, from brightening up clubhouses to refreshing community spaces that bring people together. This year, we’re delighted to bring it back with even more opportunities for communities to benefit.”To nominate your local group, scan the QR code in-store or visit Fleetwood Paints’ website.To learn more about Friends of the Elderly or to make a donation, click here.Want to see more of the stories you love from Dublin Live? Making us your preferred source on Google means you’ll get more of our exclusives, top stories and must-read content straight away. To add Dublin Live as a preferred source, simply click here.Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content.We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice
