Connected Communities Fund visit to ‘The Happy Place’- Sustaining a vital Social Lifeline for Oxfordshire’s Older Chinese Residents.
On a recent Monday afternoon, the sports hall at the West Oxford Community Association was buzzing with the sights and sounds of community. I was visiting The Happy Place, a long-running group that has become a vital social lifeline for older members of Oxfordshire’s Chinese communities.
Rather than relying on one or two volunteers to prepare food, many people arrived bearing pots of homemade noodles, pastries, and other dishes to share for the communal meal. It was a potluck in the truest sense, with everyone pitching in joyfully to set up, whether a volunteer or attendee. The diverse crowd chatted animatedly in Cantonese and various regional Chinese languages – something emphasised to me as crucially important for this demographic to maintain their linguistic heritage. Happy Place has been fostering this community for at least 21 years, though some mentioned the group may trace back even further. Currently, members meet for one session each Monday from 12-2pm, though coordinator Kwai expressed they “would like to offer more sessions” to meet the evident need. Kwai explained how the Connected Communities funding has been vital for The Happy Place: “It has allowed me to stay on as coordinator, which involves a lot of translation work. I wouldn’t have been able to continue without it. It has also allowed us to keep costs low for attendees – many here today couldn’t afford to come otherwise.”
For many members, The Happy Place is quite literally a lifeline against loneliness and isolation. As one volunteer illuminated, “Loneliness is a big problem in the older community. Often they don’t speak to anyone all week, maybe just exchanging a brief comment about the weather with a neighbour.” Another member echoed this, sharing “It gives us a place to get together and meet with friends. It’s a nice little community.” In this warm, welcoming environment, elders can freely converse and reminisce in their home languages – something a volunteer underscored as “so important, especially as they get older, and dementia sets in.” A long-time attendee who travels from across the county praised the group’s accessibility, saying “I’ve been coming 10 years and made great friends. It’s a nice opportunity to talk to people.”
They explained that at The Happy Place, members can get support with technology, reading assistance, discuss personal issues, and simply socialise without language barriers. “They can talk about their problems and get help. Being able to communicate in their language and look back on the old days is crucial for them. We also help to arrange Group outings help make members feel more comfortable venturing out, with volunteers explaining, “Going on a day trip when you don’t speak the language can be really intimidating. But here we can get a little group together.”
With its lively atmosphere, shared meals, karaoke, table tennis, and other social activities, Happy Place has blossomed into an affordable, welcoming community hub – a place of vital connection and interaction for Oxfordshire’s older Chinese residents over many years. For its members, this group is far more than just a weekly meetup; it’s an indispensable part of maintaining cultural ties, social wellbeing, and combating the isolating impacts of aging.
To find out more follow the link below:
https://www.woca.org.uk/resources/1-happy-place-oxfordshire-older-chinese-people-centre
Written by Jaime Hewett
Development Officer at OCVA