ROYTON residents will be able to create treasured keepsakes of their pasts thanks to a £500 boost from Rapid ROCA.
Royton Over 60s will use the grant to help their visitors make precious memory books to record their history.
Janet Heap, one of the group organisers, explained: “They will be similar to a family tree but in pictures.
“We’ve bought big books and our visitors are going to be filling them with pictures.
“We’re just working on Easter things at the moment, including making Easter bonnets, so when we’ve finished that we’ll start the memory books.”
Some of the grant money will also be used for laptop and computer lessons for the group.
Janet said: “A lot of our visitors been given phones, ipads or tablets by their families and need a bit of help learning to use them.
“Their grandchildren show them how to do things and say ‘you can do it now’ but sometimes they need a bit more time to learn how.”
Royton Over 60s are one of 22 groups selected as recipients of the fourth annual Rapid ROCA (Respect our Communities Awards) event in conjunction with First Choice Homes.
They received money two years ago, which they used to host a fantastic party to celebrate the Queen’s 90th birthday, and made their own crowns, table placemats and decorations.
Janet added this year’s grant will make a “superb difference” to the group as it helps them continue and expand their popular activities.
In fact, the group, which meets every Thursday at Dovetails Church on Beal Lane in Shaw, is proving so popular they have extended their sessions to run from 9.30am to 3pm.
Visitors can just turn up to enjoy coffee, curling, games and other activities, with many bringing their own lunch and spending the day there.
The group has also recently launched ‘Fellowship Saturday’ events which offer luncheon and games once a month to help eliminate social isolation and loneliness.
For more information about Royton Over 60s, call Janet Heap on: 0161 652 4060.