AN active group of Skipton residents aged between 70 and 90 have been awarded £4,700 to help organise activity sessions.

The grant comes from the Help the Aged Millennium Awards which supports projects combating isolation and the problems of lack of services in rural areas.

The View From Home project, set up at the sheltered accommodation on Roughaw Close, Skipton, will offer residents the chance to share their memories and stories through writing, painting or embroidery, and enjoy keep fit classes.

The group will work closely with Bingley artist Mary Robson.

Wendy Stone, of North Yorkshire Health Authority, said the scheme was set up two years ago to do a needs assessment. The artist was invited to work with the group and find out their major concerns.

The main issues highlighted were chances to get together with other people and the opportunities to take part in activities.

During this process it was noted that the meetings with the artist were solving the problems they had highlighted.

Funding from the millennium awards was applied for by four members Doreen Yewdall, Lillian Read, Mary Varley and June Hasney, to keep the group running.

The classes with the artist will begin in October. "Most of the group is over 80 so they have lived all their life in this century and they will see in the beginning of the next century. They are aiming to capture all these memories in drawing and writing," said Wendy.

Alongside these classes keep fit sessions have also been set up. "They were keen on doing some physical activity sessions as well. The grant has given them enough money to run that for one year," added Wendy.

Qualified chair aerobics teacher Annie Heaton from Craven Voluntary Action will run the classes, and her first class on Tuesday was extremely well attended with over 15 people wanting to join in.

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