Life

Anne Hailes: Irish News Neighbourhood News campaign reaches out to elderly

Anne Hailes

Anne Hailes

Anne is Northern Ireland's first lady of journalism, having worked in the media since she joined Ulster Television when she was 17. Her columns have been entertaining and informing Irish News readers for 25 years.

The Irish News have launched a new Neighbourhood News initiative
The Irish News have launched a new Neighbourhood News initiative The Irish News have launched a new Neighbourhood News initiative

THERE’S one thing that saddens me about today’s young people – they don’t have a tradition of buying and reading newspapers. There is great pleasure in taking time to read a feature or an incisive piece of investigative journalism, taking a pen and doing a crossword and scanning the ads and personal columns.

Take this paper for instance: on average, 72 pages for £1 – excellent value and I think a miracle with the input of so many writers and photographers, skilled creative and technical people who put together such a wide range of international subjects.

I’ve always had a fascination for newspapers and I would hate to be without them, but the fact is many older people who grew up with a paper coming into the house every day just don’t get one any more. Why? Usually because of logistics: the ‘paper boy’ of the past isn’t around any more, home deliveries are few and far between and getting out to walk to the shops isn’t always easy, especially in the winter months, and asking family or neighbours seems an imposition.

So, The Irish News has come up with an idea which will make a difference – during this week, friends and neighbours are being asked to pick up free copies of this newspaper at their local Spar and deliver it to an older friend or neighbour.

School children too will be drawn in to this Neighbourhood News initiative, from Belfast to Ballycastle to Castlewellan, including St Dominic’s and St Louise’s, and they will take up the challenge after school and, hopefully, a cheerful delivery could grow into a friendship after this week is over.

I find teenagers are delighted to hear about 'the old days' – that’s anything prior to 1980! I’ve always thought people who grew up during and just after the war years have a brilliant story to tell and should be writing it all down. Living history is hard to beat, indeed perhaps the young visiting 'paper boys and girls' could write down reminiscences for a school project and so form a bond with their new special friend.

These are the facts:

  • The Neighbourhood News Initiative will run from today, Monday February 25, to Sunday March 3 when people are invited to pick up a complimentary neighbour copy of the Irish News each day from their local Spar to share with an elderly neighbour and so make better connections with older people in their communities
  • There are 285,000 older people over the age of 65 living in Northern Ireland, a figure that is predicted to grow to 608,493 for those aged 60-plus by 2039
  • 46 per cent of those over 65 have accessed the internet, 4.5 per cent live in communal establishments and 78,101 older people live alone.

The initiative has been endorsed by Age NI and the Commissioner for Older People and is supported by Spar NI. Eddie Lynch, the Commissioner for Older People for Northern Ireland said:

"Sadly, more and more of our older people are feeling cut off from society. This is due to a number of factors including loss of relationships, lack of mobility or limited access to transport or sometimes it’s the case that family members have moved away.

"Research studies have shown that feelings of loneliness can be as bad for your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, so it has a huge impact on a person’s emotional and physical health. In addition, people who are very lonely are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, as those who aren’t lonely at all.

"The bottom line is that everyone now is so busy, the community spirit we once had is sadly missing in large parts of Northern Ireland. The ‘Neighbourhood News’ drop is a great initiative by the Irish News and I hope that people will really use this opportunity to reconnect with older neighbours who they may have lost contact with."

Linda Robinson CEO Age NI comments: "Sadly, loneliness and isolation are problems we hear every day from the older people who contact us or use our services – that they don’t have anyone to talk to or someone to share their problems with. Some can even go days without seeing or speaking to anyone.

Spar stores are situated in the heart of every community across Northern Ireland and for older customers they can often be an important hub of meeting and chatting.

It’s sad that one third of older people only have television for company and that’s not great compared to reading a newspaper and getting involved: this generation are good at writing letters and getting in touch with comments and suggestions and, as the Irish News has a readership of 148,000 each day, that’s a vast network of information and friendship.

For the last two years, readers have been getting in touch with this office asking how to arrange a home delivery for their parents. The answer comes this week and the hope is the connections made between those who take up the challenge and the recipients will live on beyond one week and into the future.

Just think what that would mean: a shared cup of tea, a chat and a laugh, reminiscing, bringing along a cake or some fruit to share. It might not take up much of your time but it would mean the world to someone who is sitting at home day after day with only programmes like the dreaded Pointless to keep them company.

:: For more information on the initiative, visit Irishnews.com/neighbourhoodnews and Spar-ni.co.uk to find a local Spar store. Information on the services provided by Age NI and the Commissioner for Older People for Northern Ireland can be found via Ageuk.org.uk/northern-ireland and Copni.org

People are being asked to pick up free copies of The Irish News at their local Spar and deliver them to older friends or neighbours
People are being asked to pick up free copies of The Irish News at their local Spar and deliver them to older friends or neighbours People are being asked to pick up free copies of The Irish News at their local Spar and deliver them to older friends or neighbours