THREE outstanding good causes were in the running for the Health Charity of the Year title at the South Wales Health & Care Awards, and it was Age Connects Torfaen which came out on top.

Gary Handley, faculty director for care and community studies with category sponsor Coleg Gwent, presented the award to members of the Sebastopol-based charity.

In winning, they just got the better of Sparkle, the official charity of the Serennu Children’s Centre in Newport and the Nevill Hall Children’s Centre in Abergavenny, and St David’s Hospice Care.

Age Connects Torfaen, a member of Age Connects Wales, is an independent charity for older people living in the borough and its surrounding areas.

It makes a massive difference to the lives of older people, especially those who are lonely and isolated.

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Seventy people living with cognitive impairment or a diagnosis of dementia are cared for on a weekly basis.

Age Connects Torfaen provides one of the first specialised programmes for people with early onset dementia within south Wales.

The award winners have also been recognised as a dementia-friendly workplace and a dementia centre of excellence.

And for many older people, the charity’s Widdershins Centre is the place to be, providing a buzzing environment of activities and opportunities.

Age Connects Torfaen has succeeded in securing funding to initiate new projects for more than three decades.

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