MHA Communities Harrogate

MHA Communities Harrogate is a new service in Harrogate to support and connect older people who continue to live independently in their own homes and enable them to live later life well.

Working closely with our existing care and retirement services in Harrogate, MHA Berwick Grange and MHA Martin Grange, as well as Wesley Centre in the heart of Harrogate and the wider Methodist Circuit, our aim is to reduce social isolation and loneliness by supporting older people in the community with telephone or video befriending by trained volunteers, digital activities and helping members to get online and stay connected with their communities.

Membership is open to any older person in Harrogate who would like to make new social connections and try out new activities or benefit from the support of a Volunteer Befriender.

MHA has been supporting older people in Harrogate since 1946 when it opened its second care home Berwick Grange and this was followed by the opening of Martin Grange retirement apartments in 2006. The addition of a new MHA Community in Harrogate offers a complete and exciting service for all people in later life in the local community, including our residents in care and retirement living, as well as church members in the Nidd Valley Methodist Circuit, enabling them to keep active, engaged and enjoying social contact.

For over 30 years, MHA has been running Communities (formerly Live at Home schemes) across the country, which have helped tackle loneliness and isolation for over 12,000 older people who live independently in their own home. The local schemes offer a wide variety of services for their members ranging from exercise classes, craft activities, lunch clubs and men’s groups to support with shopping trips, days out, short holidays and befriending, depending on what members would like to do.