THE impact of the pandemic is still being felt among older people, who had to endure lengthy periods of isolation during the lockdowns.

Now a drop-in group for seniors - Open House - is being resumed at Bradford's Alhambra theatre. Run by volunteers, it offers a chance to meet up socially and enjoy occasional entertainment, talks and gentle exercise.

Open House celebrate its 20th anniversary this year - and on Monday (April 4) it meets again in-person for the first time since the pandemic.

Pam James, 85, set up the group in April 2002. "I'm a trustee of Age UK and we had a focus group which felt strongly that older people wanted somewhere to meet" says Pam. "The Lord Mayor of Bradford at the time, Richard Wightman, negotiated with social services and said we could have a drop-in centre at St George's Hall. They just needed someone to run it, so I set it up with a friend. The idea was to give older people a chance to meet up and make some new friends."

The group was a success and later moved to the Alhambra. "It's a great venue because there is disabled parking outside, and the Alhambra staff are so supportive. They're very generous with raffle prizes" says Pam. "Sovereign Health Care have been very generous too.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: The group is a chance to meet up socially The group is a chance to meet up socially

"Some of our volunteers are in their late 80s and 90s. During the pandemic we couldn't meet up and this had a big impact on members. There is a significant problem with isolation and loneliness among older people and the last two years has been particularly hard. I hate Zoom - for me, it's important to have face-to-face contact and that's what Open House is all about. It's open door, open house."

Adds Pam: "A man rang me recently and said, 'My mum is so lonely. When are you open again?' People have waited a long time to meet in person. We're meeting on Mondays and Tuesdays every week to start with. There's no fee, but people can buy refreshments - we have coffee and tea, cake and sandwiches. There are lots of friendly faces here and a big welcome."

The group includes an exercise class with Colleen Barlow. There are also guest speakers. "Representatives from the police and fire service give talks, we have a Christmas lunch every year and a big charity raffle. Every so often we have entertainment; a ukelele band often comes along," says Pam. "It's a drop-in centre, anyone can come along. Some people are in their 50s and early 60s. People are lonely at any age. Usually we have about 50 people coming in, between 10am-2pm. Sometimes carers come too. We've linked up with care homes before, to bring people in, and we'd like to do that again."

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Pam with committee members Pam with committee members

Pam, who runs several groups for older people, is planning a lunch to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Open House in May.

* Open House meets on Monday at the Alhambra's Pit Bar, 10am-2pm. It will meet on Mondays and Tuesdays, 10am-2pm.