Feeding the Community and fostering friendship with Pauline

Since Community is at the centre of all we do, it is important to recognise those who help our Communities to thrive. In December, we hosted the Because Community Matters Awards, recognising individuals who go above and beyond for their Communities. 

One very deserving winner was Pauline Blacker, a member of the Elphaborough Retirement Community in Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire. Pauline had been nominated by her neighbours for her tireless work running the Elphaborough Vintage Social Club, a cornerstone of the Community that brings neighbours together to enjoy each other’s company, support one another, and share good food! 

A well-connected Community 

Earlier this year, our Chief Impact Officer, John Greaves had the pleasure of visiting the Elphaborough Community and sampling some of Pauline’s famous cooking for himself! It was here that we caught up with Pauline to tell her story, in her own words. 

Nestled within the idyllic Yorkshire Dales, Elphaborough is a retirement Community of self-contained flats and bungalows, accommodating Customers over the age of fifty-five. “It’s a lovely area, definitely very picturesque,” Pauline told us. “I’m a Bradford girl originally, but I moved here fourteen years ago with my husband. We used to run a working men’s club and I did the catering there, so I’m very used to cooking for big groups”.

The Vintage Social Club meets every Thursday in Elphaborough’s lounge, where Customers can enjoy a variety of social activities, from quizzes to bingo, but the main attraction is clearly Pauline’s cooking! 

Good food and better company 

“Food is a good way to bring people together, it’s a way to draw people in initially, when they might not know anyone or feel a bit isolated,” Pauline explained, “I do a range of things, I bake cakes, or I’ll make meat pies with proper mushy peas, we even have Christmas parties and will have a Christmas Dinner for those who want to join!”. 

Beyond the hearty meals, the club creates a space for friendship and social interaction. “I’m the bingo caller, and my friend Trudy is the quizmaster! We’re also having a ‘Jacob’s join’ next week where everyone brings their own food to share”. 

The Community may be located within the rural village of Mytholmroyd, but club also ensures Customers are well-connected: “one of the best things about this Community is that we’re so close to the railway station, so you can always hop on the train, plus we organise coach trips to Halifax and Leeds, or to go shopping in Boundary Mill”. 

The club has been a lifeline for many people, preventing loneliness and isolation. Pauline shared how the club had helped her: “To me, Community is about having someone to talk to, someone to support you and you support them. When my husband passed away, it was good to have other people who were in the same boat, who were on their own as well.” 

Supporting one another 

Since the Vintage Social Club is Customer-run, it also encourages Customers to form bonds and support one another in their everyday lives. 

“Trudy is very tech savvy, so she helps people with technology, from filling in forms online to setting up their Sky TV boxes. But on the other hand, she’s got arthritis, so we support her by fetching her prescription from the chemist and things like that.” 

This was especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic: “During the lockdown, there were a lot of people who were on their own, whose families couldn’t visit them, so I started making roast dinners for people who couldn’t cook for themselves, just to look after them and give them some social interaction”. 

It is clear to see why Pauline’s friends and neighbours nominated her for a Because Community Matters Award. We asked her how it felt to win the award: “I was really honoured, especially knowing it was my neighbours who nominated me. We had a fantastic night at the ceremony in York”. 

It’s people like Pauline that help our Communities to thrive, and we are proud to support her, #BecauseCommunityMatters.