Wolverhampton actors bring a taste of the theatre to doorsteps to combat loneliness at Christmas

Thanks to an increasingly popular initiative by Bushbury Hill Estate Management Board (BHEMB), Dennis Ffrench and Rebecca Sheppard, who run D&B Productions in the city, have been dressing up as Dame Ding Dong Mary Lee and Trixie Tinsel The Fairy Queen to drop off presents and some festive good wishes.

The project has already spent time with over 200 of the area’s most vulnerable tenants in a bid to prevent loneliness and to encourage them to attend community activities in the New Year.

This includes the weekly ‘Funday Monday’ session for anyone over the age of 50, which starts again on January 6 and includes a free meal, crafts, bingo, music and the chance to share stories with other people.

Karen Williams, Chief Officer of BHEMB, said: “Some of our residents will not have family nearby and may go days without speaking to people, so we wanted to bring the conversation to their doorstep – with a bit of added theatrical magic thanks to Dennis and Rebecca.

“It has been a fantastic few days and we have visited 280 individuals. The response has been fantastic, and we’ve met some proper characters with fantastic stories.”

Rebecca  went on to add: “We’ve loved every minute of bringing the fun of the theatre to the doorsteps of Bushbury residents.

“I’m pretty sure we’ve managed to get a fair number of people to sign up the social sessions that proved so popular last year. 2025 will be bigger and better with lots of fun, games, chat and food on the menu!”

The project, which has been going for many years, is being run by Bushbury Hill Estate Management, one of the lead partners of the WV10 Consortium, a group of local community organisations who secure funds to improve the quality of life, health and wellbeing of local people.

Combatting loneliness and isolation for all ages is a priority and the doorstep visits are part of a calendar of activities that include cooking classes, parent and toddler groups, family after school sessions and Monday Fundays.

Louisa Edwards, one of the managers at WV10 Consortium, commented: “2024 has been such a difficult year for everyone and residents in WV10 have been hit hard by the cost of living.

“We’ve redoubled our efforts through our fantastic partners to try to provide as much help as possible, with £70,000 of Household Support Fund successfully distributed to people who need it most.

“Over 900 families have been given access to family-based activities, whilst nearly 100 individuals have received one-to-one support, including help with their finances and counselling.”

She concluded: “Everything we do is designed to make lives better and sometimes that involves bringing some fun to proceedings – that’s exactly what Dennis and Rebecca have done with their doorstep visits, all done voluntarily and just to put a smile on someone's face.”