For our final Community Wellbeing Session of 2026, we were delighted to welcome Justine Williams, CEO of Age Concern Liverpool & Sefton, to Sefton Support Group. ๐
It was a fitting way to bring this year’s sessions to a close, with Justine giving our members a fascinating insight into the wide range of support Age Concern Liverpool & Sefton provides, the challenges facing older people across our communities and the charity’s ambitions for the future.
At the beginning of the session, we also took a moment to reflect on how far our Community Wellbeing Sessions have come over the past two years and to thank the members, visitors and guest speakers who have helped make them such a success.
Supporting Older People Across Liverpool and Sefton
Justine explained that she joined Age Concern Liverpool & Sefton as CEO in June 2026 and has been reviewing how the charity currently supports people, where the greatest need exists and how its services can grow in the future.
Demand is already significant, with waiting lists across several services and more people approaching the charity for support.
Age Concern Liverpool & Sefton currently works with around 2,000 people each year across its different services, although Justine explained that the organisation could support considerably more people if it had the capacity and funding to do so.
Sefton Befriending
One of the first services Justine introduced was Sefton Befriending.
The service supports people who may be feeling lonely or isolated, including those who have experienced bereavement or simply need some encouragement and confidence to reconnect with their local community.
Members of the team spend time getting to know each person, understanding their interests and looking for local activities or groups that may suit them.
Importantly, the support can go beyond simply suggesting somewhere to attend. A member of the team can accompany someone to their first session, helping remove the worry of walking into an unfamiliar group alone.
If someone needs longer term support, they can also be matched with one of the charity’s volunteers. Justine explained that Age Concern Liverpool & Sefton is supported by around 130 volunteers, with some befriending relationships continuing for several years and developing into genuine friendships.
Combatting Isolation and Supporting Mental Health
Another important service discussed was Combat Isolation, which operates across Liverpool and Sefton and supports people with a diagnosed mental health condition.
The service provides more intensive support over a longer period, helping people address isolation, build confidence, connect with other services and work through some of the challenges they are experiencing.
Justine explained that the needs of people being referred are often complex and cannot always be resolved within a set number of weeks.
This is one of the reasons volunteers can be so valuable, providing continuity and ongoing support after the initial period of professional involvement.
Unfortunately, demand is currently far greater than capacity, with Justine explaining that there can be significant waits for the service. This is something the charity is actively trying to address through additional funding and increased staffing.
Activities, Friendship and Getting Out of the House
Age Concern Liverpool & Sefton also runs a wide variety of activities from its Liverpool base.
These include Tai Chi, IT sessions, quizzes, dementia activities and social opportunities, as well as organised days out supported by volunteers.
Many activities are extremely popular and regularly fill up, with waiting lists forming because of the limited number of people that can be accommodated at any one time.
For Justine, expanding the activity programme is another priority, giving more people opportunities to get out of the house, meet others and remain socially connected.
Helping People Access the Benefits They Are Entitled To
Members were also interested to hear about the charity’s benefits support.
Age Concern Liverpool & Sefton has a part-time benefits adviser who can help people understand what they may be entitled to, complete forms and navigate the benefits system.
Justine explained that the adviser can also carry out home visits where somebody cannot easily travel into Liverpool.
In just six months, the service had already helped recover approximately ยฃ67,000 in benefits for people who were entitled to additional support.
Demand for this service is particularly high, and the charity hopes to expand it in the future so that more people can receive help, including additional home visits.
Residential Support at The Hamlets
The session also introduced members to The Hamlets, Age Concern Liverpool & Sefton’s 30-bed residential home in Liverpool.
The home supports people living with dementia and diagnosed mental health conditions.
Justine explained that work is currently taking place to improve and refurbish the home, with volunteers helping to redecorate residents’ bedrooms and plans to source good quality donated furniture to make the environment feel even more comfortable and homely.
The Growing Challenge of Dementia
Dementia was one of the most important issues raised during the session.
Justine explained that the charity is seeing increasing numbers of people either already living with dementia or showing signs of early onset dementia by the time they access support.
This creates additional challenges because somebody living with dementia may require a different type and level of support from someone simply experiencing social isolation.
With an ageing population, Justine believes there is a growing need for more specialist dementia services and more support delivered within people’s own homes.
One of Age Concern Liverpool & Sefton’s ambitions for 2027 is therefore to explore the development of a dementia day service and more specialist dementia support at home.
A Holistic Handyperson Service
One of the most interesting future projects discussed was a proposed holistic handyperson service.
The idea is to have trusted people available in Liverpool and Sefton who can visit older people’s homes to carry out small practical jobs that do not require a specialist tradesperson.
But the service would go much further than changing a light bulb or completing a small repair.
Staff would also be trained to notice whether somebody may need additional support. For example, they could identify whether there is food in the home, whether smoke alarms are working, whether someone appears unsteady on their feet or whether they seem particularly isolated.
Where a concern is identified, they could then help connect that person directly with another appropriate service.
Justine described the idea as creating somebody who understands the wider support available locally and can help people access it quickly.
Trusted Traders and Protecting Older People
This naturally led into a discussion about scams and people being overcharged for work in their homes.
Age Concern Liverpool & Sefton is developing a network of trusted traders who share the charity’s values and can provide reliable services at a fair price.
Justine explained that older people regularly contact the charity after being overcharged or taken advantage of when arranging work around their home.
The trusted trader network is intended to provide greater reassurance when somebody needs a gardener, electrician, gas fitter, home adaptation specialist or another tradesperson.
The Difference the Right Support Can Make
Some of the most powerful moments of the session came when Justine shared real examples of people the charity has supported.
One involved a woman who had spent many years living in extremely difficult circumstances within a residential care setting. Following intervention involving Age Concern Liverpool & Sefton and other professionals, her circumstances changed dramatically.
She is now living more independently, accessing activities and support, and has become so enthusiastic about the difference it has made that she encourages other people to take part too.
Another example involved an 80-year-old man in Southport who simply wanted to feel safe enough to go for a walk around Marine Lake but had been waiting months for an assessment that could potentially provide him with suitable walking equipment.
Justine used examples like these to demonstrate why advocacy is such an important part of the charity’s work. Sometimes the support somebody needs may appear relatively straightforward, but navigating the different organisations and systems involved can make obtaining that support much more difficult than it should be.
Giving Older People a Stronger Voice
A key part of Justine’s role is therefore not only delivering services, but also representing the experiences of older people when speaking with councils, health services, funders and other organisations.
She explained that real stories can help demonstrate where gaps exist and where relatively small changes could make a significant difference to somebody’s independence and quality of life.
Partnership working was another recurring theme throughout the session.
Justine stressed that no single organisation can provide everything somebody may need. Instead, charities, public services and community organisations need to understand what each other provides and work together so people can reach the right support more quickly.
Almost 100 Years of Age Concern
Members were also surprised to learn about the history of Age Concern Liverpool & Sefton.
Justine explained that the charity is independent and is approaching an incredible 100 years of supporting people.
Unlike many former Age Concern organisations that later became part of Age UK, Age Concern Liverpool & Sefton remained independent, allowing it to continue being locally led and responsive to the needs of people across Liverpool and Sefton.
The organisation is already beginning to plan celebrations for its centenary.
Looking to the Future
Justine’s presentation made it clear that there is no shortage of ambition for the future.
Alongside the proposed handyperson service and greater dementia support, the charity wants to expand existing services, reduce waiting lists, provide more activities and strengthen its presence across Sefton.
As with many charities, however, much of this depends on securing the funding needed to employ staff, run services and reach more people.
Throughout the session, members also shared ideas, contacts and suggestions for organisations Age Concern Liverpool & Sefton could potentially work alongside, reinforcing the importance of collaboration within the voluntary and community sector.
A Fantastic Final Community Wellbeing Session
It was a fascinating and very open session, giving our members a much clearer understanding of the breadth of work carried out by Age Concern Liverpool & Sefton and the very real challenges facing many older people within our communities.
A huge thank you to Justine Williams for joining us, sharing so many examples from the charity’s work and taking the time to answer questions from our members.
It was also a fitting way to bring our Community Wellbeing Sessions for 2026 to a close.
We would like to thank every organisation and guest speaker who has joined us throughout the year, and everyone who has attended, asked questions and helped make these sessions what they have become. ๐
We will be sharing more soon as we look back over the past two years of Community Wellbeing Sessions and the organisations, people and subjects that have made the programme so special.
