Two new winter festivals for older people living in Monmouthshire attracted over 80 attendees and staff from a range of organisations at events held in Abergavenny and Chepstow.

Monmouthshire Housing Association’s (MHA) free Winter Festivals offered attendees the chance to find out about the range of support available in Monmouthshire, including Age Cymru Gwent, the British Red Cross, Wiltshire Farm Foods, Mon Leisure, Monmouthshire Library Service, Community Connections, Care and Repair Monmouthshire and the South East Wales Energy Agency.

A Christmas craft workshop proved very popular, with people able to make their own festive decoration to take home. The Stroke Association were on hand to offer blood pressure checks, while the band Kozmic Drive performed a number of seasonal songs.

Wiltshire Farm Foods generously donated two festive hampers as raffle prizes and the event was capped by a special general knowledge quiz run by Bernard Pearson – star of the BBC quiz show Eggheads.

John Wilson, 86, of Abergavenny said: “The festival offers a splendid way of accessing information about local services in one place. It also gives people the chance to talk to professionals about subjects they may not feel comfortable talking about with friends or family.”

Chepstow resident Gwendolyn Williams, 93, said: “I find it harder to get into town as I get older, especially in the bad weather. So the events MHA put on such as the Winter Festival give me chance to get out and meet people.”

MHA Housing Support Manager Neil Binnell said: “MHA puts on a range of health and wellbeing events throughout the year in our sheltered schemes around Monmouthshire. These events are aimed at all older people living in the communities in which we work, not just MHA tenants.

“We are happy that local people get the maximum benefits from the use of our communal facilities in our sheltered accommodation.”