Donating to the 'Building a Better COATS' Fund

There are over 2 million people over 75 years of age living alone in the UK. According to a recent Age UK survey, many of these people feel ‘invisible or ignored’, which means local community groups for the elderly are more important than ever.

COATS (Crowthorne Old Age to Teen Society) has worked in Crowthorne for over 50 years and is focused on promoting the welfare of senior citizens. Their team of friendly volunteers are on hand to make people’s days enjoyable, provide freshly cooked meals by their professional chef and arrange a variety of activities throughout the day.

The team truly provide companionship for these important members of our community and the centre is a place where people can come and meet friends, make new ones and get involved in the fun activities which include skittles, bingo and entertainment from singers, dancers and more.

Last year, COATS completed a well-needed remodelling and refurbishment of their premises on Pinewood Avenue, Crowthorne. Opening up the lounge area to allow more seating, introducing a new disability lift and generally giving the building a good refresh to ensure it meets modern standards and is fit for purpose for many years to come. The attendees of COATS are happier than ever with their new surroundings.

Prospect has always commended the work COATS do locally and have supported them in any way we can. In January, we were delighted to enhance our previous support with a donation of ￡1,000 to the ‘Building a better COATS’ fund.

Simon Goodger, Crowthorne Branch Manager, and his team visited the centre in January to make the donation and see first-hand the wonderful work they do for the community.

The centre was full and the residents were laughing, joking and playing a variety of games. It was such a pleasure to see the joy COATS brings to people’s lives.

John Barnes, COATS chairman commented;

“On behalf of all the trustees, I would like to thank you for your very generous donation of ￡1,000 to our charities ‘Building a better COATS’ fund. With the help of many local organisations and individuals, we have just finished an ambitious remodelling and renovation project of COATS Centre. Without such generous support we would not have been able to complete this undertaking.”

COATS gets its name from its ambition to involve young people in volunteering and helping the elderly. Teenagers and young people contribute towards COATS by helping in the charity’s shop on Crowthorne High Street, selling donations like jewellery, handbags, clothes, toys, CDs, DVDs, books and more.

Impressed by COATS’s unquantifiable contributions towards older people’s welfare, Prospect is glad to have made a donation and I look forward to seeing what exciting projects COATS works on next.

To make a donation or learn more about COATS, please visit their website by clicking here or visit their Facebook (@COATScrowthorne).

To discover more of the work Prospect do in the local community, visit our community page by clicking here.