My role is a support and activities coordinator and I am privileged to support people over the age of 55 who live in an Extra Care scheme in kirkby Stephen.

Our older generation are more susceptible to falls due to many factors; blood pressure,poor balance,arthritis, pain, medications ,Dementia ,lost confidence.

As we live in a rural village it can take many hours for the ambulance services to attend and help the person who has fallen back on their feet.The last time one of our people fell we waited over 6 hours for the ambulance services to arrive and get this person back up.There were no physical injuries to speak of but this person suffered the trauma of shock,poor circulation, not to mention the uncomfortable and undignified wait on the floor!

(We did cover with blankets and pillows and offered reassurance but still undignified nonetheless)

The list of implications from a simple fall can prove catastrophic for some people, the loss of confidence, low self esteem,confusion and the trauma of being taken out of your home and your safe environment to be taken to hospital ( which can be over 45 miles from us ) in the middle of the night just because you have laid for so long on the floor.

We need to raise £3000 for the Raizer chair, which, will without doubt make a huge difference to these older people and help keep them in their homes with their dignity and confidence in tact.The Raizer Chair comes in 6 portable pieces and can be managed by one person as they build it around the person on the floor.If there are no physical injuries and the person has no pain they can be raised back to a comfortable seating position until they feel they can get up and move around safely.

The cost of sending out ambulance crews (and they do an amazing job) and taking people to hospital can cost the NHS hundreds of thousands of pounds each year. We are hoping to cut out unnecessary trips to A & E and keep our people safely in their own homes for many years to come.

We are holding regular fundraising events at our Scheme over the next few months and I will be taking part in an abseil down the local church in May.

(Fingers crossed I won't need this Raizer chair myself!)

Thank you for reading our story and we hope you can give your support to our great cause.