The university's Community University Partnership Programme ran Activity Buddies, which teamed elderly Eastbourne residents with a student buddy to take part in exercise and activities while educating the elderly about healthy living.
The programme, which seeks to reduce social inequalities in communities local to the university, scooped the Outstanding Contribution to the Local Community award at the Times Higher Education Awards 2008. The award was presented by David Lammy MP, the newly appointed Minister of State for Higher Education.
Third year physiotherapy student Sarah-Louise Ponting, 22, was involved in the project from the outset.
She said, "We organised various activities and ran workshops to give information about everything from eating well to osteoporosis. We had nothing but good feedback from all of the participants. It's often a misconception that the elderly can't still exercise. A few of the participants thought that once you get to a certain age you should stop doing all exercise which is actually the worst thing you can do. This project shows that there is a whole range of activities for the elderly too."
It was the first time that 83-year-old Irma Poctor, who lives in a managed retirement flat in Eastbourne, had been involved in a project of this kind.
"It's been remarkable," she said. "We played outdoor games like croquet and boules, circuit training, learnt line dancing, all sorts of activities.
"The students, our activity buddies, were wonderful and really helped us."
Sonia Lewer, active age manager at Age Concern in Eastbourne, said, "This was the first time Age Concern and the university worked together and it was an overwhelming success.
"What was wonderful about this project is that the elderly were active participants rather than just being talked at. It's through activities like these that we are breaking down stereotypical images of the elderly and educating the young about the issues elderly face." (C)