Words by Shaun Hand
For 25 years, Erdington’s CAMEO group has been helping retired local residents to connect, stay active, and keep learning.
Erdington Local spoke to Volunteer Co-ordinator Angela Richards to learn more about the group, how it works, and what their plans for the future are.
“We’re not just a group that sits down,” tells Angela. “CAMEO is for older people who still want to contribute; who still want to learn and do things.”
The volunteer-run group, whose name stands for ‘Come and Meet Each Other’, convene every Tuesday morning, from 10am until 12pm, in the church hall at the back of Six Ways Erdington Baptist Church on Wood End Road. Meetings include refreshments, quizzes, guest speakers, and more. The group also organise regular daytrips, both locally and further afield. All for just £2 per week.
Angela first became involved with CAMEO because her mother, Gloria, was one of the group’s original volunteers. “I used to go and pick her up,” Angela explains. “And then I got involved, doing little things like helping to find activities and speakers.”
Fast-forward to today, and CAMEO enjoys a wide range of both activities and guest speakers. The weekly meet-ups start with a chat over tea and toast. As Angela says, “It’s a chance for people who feel lonely or isolated and want to meet up, talk, and do things with people of a similar age. Some members are bereaved and dealing with loss, and this is the only chance they get to sit and socialise with others.”
Physical health is also important, with sessions including some light chair exercises and health-focused talks from speakers such as Dr Jha of Kingsbury Road Medical Centre. In some instances, these talks can prove potentially life-saving.
After one on sepsis, Angela herself realised that, “I was able to highlight someone who wasn’t well. She went into hospital, and it turned out she did indeed have sepsis.” There are also visits from staff at Wheelwright Road Pharmacy, offering tests on things like blood pressure and eyesight.
Beyond the church hall, the group also gets out and about. Upcoming daytrips include a visit to the National Memorial Arboretum at the end of July and the Trentham Estate in September. They also stay closer to home, organising trips to local garden centres and the like.
You get a lot for a couple of quid a week, then. But as Angela points out, it couldn’t happen without extra funding.
When I speak to her, she’s keen to thank the Sutton & Erdington Lions Club for nominating her for her (well-deserved) £500 award from Care UK’s new Elderflower Grange care home on Orphanage Road – “a wonderful, forward-thinking establishment” – which will help CAMEO continue their incredible work.
Further support has come from the Erdington Neighbourhood Network Scheme.
“I just want people to be aware there are good things going on in Erdington,” Angela says. “Especially for older people.”
CAMEO is one of the finest examples.
For more information on CAMEO contact Angela Richards directly on 07342 154 267 or by emailing angelarichards82@yahoo.co.uk
If you are from a community group or an active volunteer anywhere in the Erdington constituency then we want to hear for you. Please email: community@erdingtonlocal.com
