Austin Mitchell and Ann Syrett present this series of programmes promoting voluntary and community service, focusing on people in the community who give up their own time to help others. The programme aims to provide a clear understanding of the nature and the extent of voluntary work that's done, or needs to be done in many areas of social need throughout the Yorkshire region. This episode is about the various ways in which volunteers can help elderly people and includes interviews...

Austin Mitchell and Ann Syrett present this series of programmes promoting voluntary and community service, focusing on people in the community who give up their own time to help others. The programme aims to provide a clear understanding of the nature and the extent of voluntary work that's done, or needs to be done in many areas of social need throughout the Yorkshire region. This episode is about the various ways in which volunteers can help elderly people and includes interviews with Malcolm Johnson and Marjorie Kulvietis. Title: Yorkshire Television – Colour Production Photographs of urban street scenes and candid shots of individuals make up the opening for the programme. Title: A Matter for Concern The programme opens with a film clip showing a hospital ward for elderly patients, a commentary talks about the increase in the elderly in the population. A nurse helps an elderly lady with a drink another has a nurse dry her hair. The commentary talks about research to help solve the social and clinical problems affecting an aging population. Title: Age Action Year 1976 Austin Mitchell introduces the programme by announcing that 1976 is age action year and the film clip is designed to describe the various problems facing the country’s aging population. Title: Austin Mitchell Austin introduces the studio guests who he will speak to later in the programme which include Malcolm Johnson who is a lecture in sociology at Leeds University and Mrs Marjorie Kulvietis who is an organiser for Age Concern in the Calderdale area. Title: Ann Syrett Ann talks about the elderly in society, sometimes treated as a ‘race apart’.She goes on to say that the programme will be looking at how volunteers are helping the elderly in the community. Ann then holds up a small notice which reads. ‘postman: please call’. Ann says it is part of a scheme which could be easily introduced all over the country. The programme goes on location where a postman is doing his rounds. Ann’s commentary identifies the postman as Alf Adcock who, along with his work colleagues in Keighley, thought postmen could do more in the community than post letters. Alf explains off camera how the scheme works. If a postman sees the notice placed in the window the postman contacts social services to convey what type of help is needed. On camera at a mail sorting office Alf continues his explanation. Title: Alf Adcock His view is the service they could provide is as an intermediary to contact social services on behalf of the person who needs help. The film shows Alf talking to a resident on his route, asking her what she thinks of the scheme he and his colleagues provide. The woman agrees it’s a useful asset for the town’s older residents. Back at the sorting office Alf introduces the secretary of their union standing next to him, who along with other union officials and social services developed the scheme. Title: Allan Mitchell – Social Services, Keighley Allan talks about the scheme as not able to deal with all situations that might occur, but for those with the ability to place the card in a window where a passing postman would see it, then the scheme is of great benefit. The programme goes back to the sorting office where union secretary Brian Williams speaks. Title: Brian Williams Brian talks of an occasion where he had to help someone who used the scheme to attract attention for some assistance. Alf Adcock standing next to Brian talks of a barrier being broken, that of the reluctance of people to ask a postman for urgent help if needed. The programme moves to Huddersfield where Joan Sykes is a volunteer in a hair dressing service organised by Age Concern. A Volkswagen car drives up a hill towards the camera. Joan is driving to an appointment with Mr and Mrs Beaumont at their home. She parks outside their bungalow. As she gets out of the car her commentary outlines how she heard about the service was wanting a volunteer to carry out different tasks including hairdressing. The film shows her at work attending to Mrs Beaumont’s hair. Title: Joan Sykes – Volunteer On camera she talks more about how she started volunteering and how many customers she visits. Ann Syrett’s commentary moves on to another need that older people require, which is help with their garden. The programme shows York University student Keith Abbott working hard in an overgrown garden. He is working for a Miss Coyle who is anxious that her garden is tidy and not overgrown. Title: Keith Abbott – Volunteer On camera he talks about being asked to help with this garden, he thinks he may need some help to get it tidy. Miss Coyle on camera talks about how she used to cultivate vegetables. Keith explains that the work is a worthwhile change from sitting and studying. The film moves to St James hospital in Leeds, where Alan Hicks is asked how volunteers help the elderly in hospital. Alan gives a commentary as the film shows volunteers serving meals on a hospital ward, and in some cases helping to feed patients. Title: David Mangeolles – Volunteer David says that he hasn’t worked with elderly patients before, but he now enjoys working with the patients, and is on first name terms with some. Some other volunteers work on a ward providing a basic exercise regime for elderly patients along with accompanying music. The volunteers, known as physiotherapy aids, work with the hospital physiotherapists to create the exercise programme. It also allows the qualified staff to concentrate on working with those who need rehabilitation. The programme moves to the Leeds Jewish Day Centre. Volunteers offer their services to the many day centres in the region. Inside the day centre a woman is giving a group of older and some younger people a movement with music keep fit programme. She demonstrates the exercise movements which the group copy. A woman plays the piano to provide the music. Title: Lorna Benedict – Volunteer Organiser Lorna talks about Mrs Mitchell who provides the exercise programme, she says she provides keep fit programmes and yoga at other centres and her sessions are very popular. The programme moves on to an art and craft class at the centre where a teacher helps a woman who is making a small sculpture in clay. Lorna talks about Val Bell the volunteer teacher who not only teaches modelling, but also collage and an art class. Lorna says that she inspires the people who come to her classes. Val moves on to help another woman who is making a clay model. The programme goes back to the studio with Austin Mitchell and Ann Syrett and their two guests. Austin asks his first guest whether the programme showed volunteers doing typical work with the elderly. Title: Malcolm Johnson – Lecture in Sociology – Leeds University. He says the work shown is typical but not all that common. He cites the hairdressing service seen earlier, the service in Huddersfield is the only one he’s aware of locally. He says that volunteers basically are used to deliver meals on wheels, help in day centres, help with luncheon clubs and for friendly visiting services and working in hospitals. Austin asks his second guest about volunteer deployment in the Calderdale area. Title: Marjorie Kulvietis – Organiser, Age Concern Calderdale. She agrees with most of what Malcolm has just said, but she added that they are starting one or two domiciliary hairdressing services for which they would like volunteers for tending to both men and women’s hair. She also explains that there is a newly built day centre in part of Calderdale where they will need many volunteers to fill roles outlined in the programme. In response to a question from Austin she outlines the work that volunteers if they come forward, would do in the new day centre. Marjorie suggests they would need to take time to talk to people and offer practical help in serving meals and cups of tea. Marjorie also outlines a new service which requires for a limited time, volunteers to visit those just released from hospital. Malcolm talks about the ideal attributes a volunteer must have, perhaps the most important is the friendly ear something which requires time from the volunteer which is short supply for some of the professional staff in social services. Marjorie supports this view, and she says that more requests are coming from those employed in the statutory services for the provision of volunteer time in certain situations. Ann Syrett talks of perhaps a shortfall in the variety of volunteer provision, which affects the elderly in hospital and beyond. Malcolm suggests that provision for older people over time fits into a stereotype of an old person. He also says that increase in an older population will need more information about what people need. He says that what’s on offer from social services only meets some needs, not all. The discussion suggests a personal approach by talking to people about what their needs are and to move away from a ‘one size fits all’ approach. Asked what a volunteer night find rewarding from working with old people Malcolm recounts his own experience and says he learns a lot from people reminiscing about their own lives. Ann Syrett reports on voluntary services who still need more people to come forward and help. An address is displayed where people can contact the programme. Title: ‘Concern’ Yorkshire Television Television Centre Leeds LS3 1JS Ann reports on a request for drivers made in a previous programme by the Leeds branch of the Multiple Sclerosis Society. Ann updates the story by showing a photograph of members of the society receiving the keys from Dana, a popular singer at the time, for a specially modified coach to transport members of the society. Another photograph shows a long time society member using the special lift at the back of the bus which allows her to board the bus in her wheelchair. A final photograph shows their volunteer driver Hezekiah Gordon. Ann also includes an appeal for flag day volunteers for the British Red Cross where they are need on the following dates: Title: 1st May Garforth Heckmondwike Huddersfield Leeds 8th May Bradford Halifax Shipley Ann reads out an address for people interested in helping can contact. Title: BRITISH RED CROSS SOCIETY 5 Park Square Leeds LS1 2NE Ann also puts out an appeal for volunteers to help with meals on wheels and lunch clubs organised by Leeds Old People’s Welfare Council Title: LEEDS OLD PEOPLE’S WELFARE COUNCIL 229 Woodhouse Lane Leeds 2 Austin Mitchell closes the programme and repeats their own address seen earlier in the programme for queries. He also outlines the content for the next programmes. The programme ends with a rendition of the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest winner, ‘Save Your Kisses for Me by Brotherhood of Man, performed by members of the Queens Hill Day Centre in Leeds. Credits: Presenters – Ann Syrett, Austin Mitchell Camera – Mostafa Hammuri Sound - Mike Donnelly Film Editor - Tudor Lloyd Graphics – Brian Beardmore Researcher – Irene Cockroft Producer – Jim McCann Yorkshire Television Colour Production © Trident Television MCMLXXVI