Day Centre Deputy Manager visits 10 Downing Street

A special visit to No.10

Frank Colley, who leads our Day Centre Service, was nominated as our extreme heat champion to visit No.10 this week and meet the Prime Minister. 

Frank said, "It was a wonderful surprise to be nominated by Natalie and a really special experience to be recognised in this way. It was lovely to meet interesting people working in similar roles and to have the opportunity to share what Age UK Wandsworth had been doing to support people throughout the hot weather over the summer. I was interviewed about the work taking place at the service during this challenging period, and was very proud to talk about the care, support and community spirit shown by everyone. I would like to say a huge thank you to all of my wonderful Age UK Wandsworth colleagues at the Gwynneth Morgan Day Centre, as well as at the Old York Road office, for their continued hard work, dedication, and support.”

Frank was nominated by our CEO, Natalie, because he consistently went above and beyond to support older Wandsworth residents, as well as our staff, throughout the series of heatwaves that hit London this summer. 

The extreme heat made many older people reluctant to leave their homes this summer, but knowing that they had Frank to look after them at the Day Centre ensured that they kept leaving their homes in the slightly cooler mornings and coming in to benefit from the AC at the Day Centre as well as all the activities that Age UK Wandsworth organises to tackle loneliness and social isolation. 

Natalie said, “It was incredibly easy to nominate Frank to meet the PM because I observed him going out of his way to look after everyone all summer. He is a colleague who always helps others, but this summer he went beyond the extra mile, ensuring all sorts of activities and cool spaces and making sure everyone stayed hydrated. We are all fortunate to have Frank in our senior team.”

If you’d like to find out more about our Day Centre Service, which is commissioned by Wandsworth Borough Council, please click here.