SOMERSET Cricket Foundation has been awarded £20,000 in National Lottery funding to support its work with older people to help reduce social isolation and increase mental and physical wellbeing.

The charity, based at the Cooper Associates County Ground, will use the money to continue the running of the popular Walkers & Talkers programme that meets monthly and two weekly Sporting Memories groups in Weston-Super-Mare and Bridgwater.

Monthly ‘Walkers and Talkers’ in Taunton is open to anyone aged 50 and over, and offers free drinks and biscuits, a gentle stroll and a one-hour Q&A with a sporting legend or a well-known person. The sessions are well attended, with more than 190 people having visited at least one talk.

‘Sporting Memories’ is a weekly session, aimed at men aged 50 and over who are living with mild cognitive impairment, depression or loneliness and those wishing to talk about sport with like-minded people. The sessions are run by volunteers at the local cricket clubs, with free coffee, chat, games and physical activity.

The two groups have a regular attendance of 30 men, and a recent evaluation showed that 89 per cent of attendees had made new friends and improved their mental wellbeing.

The new funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, which distributes money raised by National Lottery players for good causes and is the largest community funder in the UK, will see these sessions continued across Somerset, in a bid to increase belonging and improve mental and physical wellbeing.

Jon Bendle, managing director of Somerset Cricket Foundation, said: “We’re delighted that The National Lottery Community Fund has recognised the importance of these programmes in our communities across Somerset. Now, thanks to National Lottery players we will be able to secure the future of two tried and tested programmes which deliver strong impact and outcomes.”