It is a good job we like people.  All of our projects involve lots of them!

In mid November we delivered a presentation to health professionals and volunteers to conclude our Interim Evaluation of the Big Lottery funded Sunflower Project.  This is a befriending project delivered by GAVO (Gwent Association of Voluntary Organisations) to patients of two hospitals run by Aneurin Bevan University Health Board.  That was a great project that brought us into contact with a lot of patients, predominantly older people, and volunteers of all ages.  Somewhat like the John Lewis Christmas advert, it really brought home to us the importance of people simply making time for others.  What we think of as a quick chat with a neighbour really can be of huge significance and value to the other person.

At the same time that project finished, we started two new evaluations for Groundwork Wales and ProMo Cymru – respectively Sustainable Play and FamilyPoint Cymru.  That’s going to bring us into contact with lots of children, young people and other family members/carers.  More of that in the next update.  In the meantime, we are busy finishing off an evaluation of an e-learning module for the NHS Centre for Equality & Human Rights.  It is really interesting to hear from health professionals about the way attitudes towards equality issues have evolved over the last ten years or so.  Certainly people seem to be a lot more aware than used to be the case of the diversity in our midst.