Meet Emma Johnson, Hub Development Coordinator
Emma Johnson, Hub Development Coordinator for Shipley & Bingley and Bradford East, joined Age UK Bradford District as a development worker, helping over 55s with their IT skills.
“I absolutely loved getting out in the community and really felt like I was making a difference to people's lives. Helping people from different communities and backgrounds has given me insight into many of the issues older people face in Bradford”
Prior to this, Emma worked in retail for 12 years giving her “a knowledge of seasonal patterns and an understanding of the importance of understanding your customer”.
She has lived in the Shipley and Bingley area all her life, so has a very good knowledge of this location, and she worked at our Wrose premises previously, which gave her a window into Bradford East.
Having successfully reopened our premises in Shipley and Idle as Hubs at the start of August, Emma has had to consider the current climate when looking forward to the future.
“The biggest immediate challenge we will be facing is Covid-19, keeping up to date on local restrictions and also trying to provide people with the confidence to eventually get out and meet in social groups. I’ll be working hard to give people in my area the information, advice and support to gain this confidence, and to provide access to activities that will improve wellbeing during these difficult times”
“I think the biggest achievement will be the premises becoming our vision of a hub, fully staffed by employees and volunteers and having an area where people can come in, feel safe and secure and reach out for help and advice or a friendly chat.”
On the topic of volunteers, Emma highlights the important role they play at Age UK Bradford District Hubs.
“Volunteers are the backbone of the hubs, they are often the first face a person sees when they walk in. Our volunteers are compassionate and join us with such valuable skills. The Hubs are part of a new way of working at the charity, so for them to grow and have an influence locally, we’ll need more volunteers and we’ll be recruiting more in the coming months.“