Saturday 27th August is Nations Sports Day and here at Caring Together we wanted to join in the action.  So at our groups this week we have been having seated sporting challenges!

These have included ring toss games, a seated ‘egg’ and spoon race and the very popular cup challenge – completed by our overall champion in just 6 seconds.

And in honour of team GB’s Olympic success we even had our very own medals!

Our Annual Sponsored Stroll will be taking place on Saturday 10th September at 2pm on Woodhouse Moor.

We really need more strollers – do you think you can help?

All it involves is collecting a few sponsors (even the smallest amount of sponsor money would help – it all adds up) and taking a gentle stroll around the perimeter of the moor with some nice people for company.

It’s a nice afternoon out and it helps to support our work with older people so please consider taking part.  Get in touch and we will send you sponsor forms.

We are very excited to be part of this project with the Wordsworth Trust and University of Leeds.

If you are 55 years and over, and living in Woodhouse and Little London we would love to meet you. This group will run for 8 weeks in total offering you a chance to meet people over a cuppa whilst savouring the beauty of words in a fun, friendly, informal setting. We will look at a poem by William Wordsworth each week, and reflect on the differences between his world and present day Leeds.

Children in Shire Oak Primary will also be exploring Wordsworth’s poetry, and together, both groups will produce work that is showcased in an exhibition at Leeds University in partnership with the Wordsworth Trust museum, Grasmere.

Date: Monday 5th, 12th, 19th, 26th Sept & 3rd October 2016

Break for 2 weeks then back again on:

Monday 24th & 31st October & Monday 7th November 2016

Venue: Louis Le Prince Room, Woodhouse Community Centre

Time: 10.30am – 12noon

Please contact us, before 19th August 2016, to add your name to the list of attendees:

The sun is set to shine this weekend so it’s a good time to visit the City Beach in Millennium Square.  Have fun on the beach without leaving the city! No need to queue in the traffic to get to the beach this summer; as City Beach returns to Millennium Square for a fourth summer season.  The beach will be there from 13 August to 4 September

City Beach returns with a special ‘cocoa cabana’ twist as an official Team GB Fanzone for the 2016 Rio Olympics. Sit back and relax on deckchairs on the real sand beach area and watch all the Olympic action live on the big screen between 13 – 21 August.

Entry to the site and beach area will be free, with individual admission fees for all rides and attractions. Discounts will be also be available for LEEDSCard and Breezecard holders.

This weekend sees the 10th annual Leeds Pride event in Leeds and because it is the 10th birthday celebration it is happening over the whole weekend, with events on the Saturday leading up to the main event on Sunday 7th and is the biggest Pride celebration in Yorkshire

This year for the first time there will be a special chill out zone for older people who may want to attend Pride but are put off by the crowds or concerns about access.  This space, funded by Time To Shine will be at Lamberts Yard, Lower Briggate from 11am – 6pm on Sunday.  You can also have a ‘Pride Buddy’ to help you navigate the crowds.  More information about all of this can be found here

There is also a family area outside Malmaison Hotel and at The Tetley

The day usually starts in Millennium Square at around 11.00am with Live Music, Performances, Speeches and a small amount of stalls. At around 2.00pm the Pride Parade sets off with floats, music and a march through Leeds towards Lower Briggate and The Calls,  for a large street party with music, alcohol, a funfair, and street stalls.

Midweekers deep in discussion

Caring Together groups this week were treated to a little bit of Olympic nostalgia leading up to the 2016 Olympics in Rio this summer.  Andy from the Discovery Centre brought in items relating to Brazilian history as well as from Olympics past.  This prompted some really interesting discussions in the groups and is getting us in the mood for the upcoming games.

The opening ceremony of the Rio Olympics is tonight and we expect it to be spectacular.  It will be shown on the BBC from 11.40pm to 4am – but if you don’t want to stay up we are sure it will be showing again on Saturday morning!

Maureen, Irene, Ann, Dot and Lisa find lots to smile about at the Decades of Youth exhibition

What was it like to be a young person in the 1940s, 1960s, or even the 1990s?