Wednesday 21 July 2010

Empowering seniors and people with disabilities to feel safe

Feeling safe both in the home and out and about may be something that many of us take for granted; but for some in our community, feeling safe is not so easy.

Community Services, Upper Hutt City Council, is coordinating a series of four free self-defence workshops in August specifically designed for seniors, people with disabilities and people with differing mobility needs. These self-defence workshops will be tailored to participants’ individual needs. It is expected participants will leave with improved confidence in home security, safety in the community and how to stay safe in potentially intimidating situations.

Anyone with differing mobility needs is welcome to come along and try out a workshop or attend all four.

“A number of people at the public forums we held last year for seniors and for people with disabilities identified that there were situations, both at home and in public, that made them feel a bit intimidated,” says Lillian Fougere, Senior Advisor in Community Development at Upper Hutt City Council. “By providing free self-defence workshops for people with different mobility needs, we hope to improve the confidence of those who take part and, essentially, improve the safety of our community.”

The workshops will be held on Tuesdays 1-3pm, on the 10, 17, 24 and 31 August in the Hapai Club. Registrations are essential and you can contact Lillian on 527 2798 or community@uhcc.govt.nz for more information.

ENDS