Soroptimist international ask the
Mayor -
"Where have all the chairs gone?"
0018/CH/M
26 September 2008
Soroptimist International, Nantwich and District, had a very
important question for the Mayor of Crewe and Nantwich, Councillor
Brian Silvester and the Mayoress, Ms. Sheila Davies, on
25th September 2008 – Where have all the Chairs
Gone?
The question was asked as part of the
Soroptimist International Cheshire, North Wales and Wirral Regional
Project Launch 2008, which took place in the council chamber at
Municipal Buildings, Crewe. The “Where have all the Chairs gone?"
campaign would like to see more benches in public spaces and chairs
in shops. The project has been setup to aid the elderly and
immobile who find it difficult to leave the house because there are
not enough places to sit and rest on their journey.
In her presentation at the launch, the
president of Nantwich and District Soroptimist International, Susan
Wells, said: “This is a social inclusion project”, she went on to
discuss the issues behind the idea for the campaign which include
the fact that 10% of people aged over 75 do not go out of their
houses at all, 1 million people aged over 65 feel trapped in their
own homes and that older women are twice as likely to feel this way
than men, 42% of elderly people do not have access to a car and 37%
live alone.
She also said that “Where have all the Chairs
Gone?” was not just a campaign targeted at helping the elderly, she
pointed out that disability could happen to the young and also
pregnant women need to take regular breaks when walking
distances.
A lot of research from all across the
Cheshire, North Wales and Wirral Region had gone into the campaign
before its official launch and the findings were very surprising.
It found, that while 73% of chemists and 62% of supermarkets had
chairs, only 39% of post offices had somewhere to sit. It also
found that only 29% of shops in Crewe Town Centre and 39% of
Nantwich Town Centre Shops had at least one chair.
The campaign also asks for more places to sit
on routes into towns from old folks care homes and says these
should be spaced no more than 400 meters apart. The research
suggests that more seating areas will encourage more people to walk
which will, amongst other things, reduce pollution from cars and
increase fitness levels in people.
The Mayor of Crewe and Nantwich, Councillor
Brian Silvester said: "I am glad the “Where have all the
chairs gone?” campaign has been launched locally, I would like to
thank Susan Wells who spoke brilliantly about the need for this
campaign. Last year a number of new seats were purchased for
Nantwich as part of a series of town centre improvements. However,
we need to look at the need for more seating in the Borough and
encourage shops to provide chairs for customers."
Form left to right -
President of Soroptimist International Nantwich and District -
Susan Wells, the Mayoress, Ms. Sheila Davies, the Mayor, Councillor
Brian Silvester and Chair PAC Soroptimist International Nantwich
and District - Lynn Everott
Council Contact - Charlotte
Howle
Telephone - 01270 537603
Email - charlotte.howle@crewe-nantwich.gov.uk
Media Enquiries - Ian
Richardson
Telephone - 01270 537018
Email - ian.richardson@crewe-nantwich.gov.uk
or www.crewe-nantwich.gov.uk