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| May 1993 | Helpline started by members of St Barnabas and Dulwich United Reformed churches. |
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| 1993-6 | 40 volunteers, mostly from local churches, provide practical help such as shopping, transport, gardening and small DIY jobs and regular visiting to isolated older people in the community. All coordinated by volunteer duty officers from a small room in Dulwich United Reformed Church. |
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| 1996 | First paid worker appointed funded by Southwark Joint Consultative Committee. Helpline moves to larger offices in Lordship Lane, East Dulwich. |
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| November 1997 | Hydrotherapy sessions for users with arthritis are run on a weekly basis. As a result of the success of this venture, we start to run more regular activity sessions. |
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| January 1998 | 2 part-time workers appointed to co-ordinate requests for practical help and befriending, plus office administration. |
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| July 1998 | Activity Group co-ordinator funded through Southwark JCC. |
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| 1998 | We moved again, to Kingswood House, on the Kingswood Estate. |
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| 1999 | 3-year Funding obtained from the National Lottery Charities Board (now the "Big Lottery") to develop the Helpline’s befriending scheme. |
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| 1999-2002 | Southwark JCC funds a joint project with Time and Talents in Rotherhithe to run regular outings to places of interest and to produce a brochure listing activities for older people in Southwark. |
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| 2002 | We started a hospital visiting and supported discharge scheme, with funding from Southwark Social Services and Southwark Primary Care Trust. |
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| 2002 | Appointment of a dedicated volunteer recruitment and training worker, funded by the "Big Lottery", and a new project to promote services on the Kingswood Estate. |
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| 2003 | We moved back to East Dulwich to larger offices. |
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| 2003 | We received a Southwark Civic Award, "Community Service Group of the Year". |
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| 2004 | Full time administrator appointed to help with an increasing work load. |
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| 2005 | 8 staff working full or part time and over 370 people receiving our services, supported by over 140 volunteers, ranging in age from 16-80+, and drawn from Dulwich and the surrounding areas. |
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| 2006 | Helpline staff reduce to 6 but continue to provide the full range of services, supported by volunteers. |
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