Welsh Government Minister commends Rainbow Foundation’s holistic and innovative approach during visit to Wrexham
This week, we had the pleasure of welcoming Dawn Bowden, the Welsh Government’s Minister for Children and Social Care, to one of our Wrexham hubs. It was a genuine privilege to open our doors and show her what our teams, volunteers and communities achieve every single day.
For us at the Rainbow Foundation, being recognised as an Ageing Well Centre of Excellence for Wales is about more than a title, it’s about delivering real, meaningful impact for the 7,000+ people we support across Wrexham each year. So having the opportunity to share that work first‑hand was something we were incredibly proud of.
Seeing Our Integrated Model in Action
During her visit, the Minister spent time with our staff, volunteers and the older people who use our hub. She saw how our holistic, fully integrated model brings together re-ablement, care and wellbeing support, dementia services, community transport and opportunities for social connection; all under one roof.
Her reaction meant a great deal to us. As she said:
“What I’ve seen at the Rainbow Foundation today here in Penley in Wrexham is truly inspiring. The hub brings many important services together under one roof and it’s clearly making a big difference to people’s lives.
This support is empowering people to live as independently as possible and play an active role in their communities.”
These words reflect exactly what we strive to deliver: independence, connection and the chance for people to live well for longer.
Innovation That Makes a Difference
We were also able to showcase some of the pioneering programmes that are helping us achieve this, including:
Active Futures — our award‑winning falls, frailty and MSK programme, now expanding across North East Wales.
The outcomes speak for themselves:
- £14.02 SROI
- £1.2 million in system savings
- 96% of participants improving their functional fitness
- Frailty reversed for many
In My Place — our innovative combined rapid response and Future Care Planning model.
This programme is fully designed and ready to implement, with the potential to:
- Deliver £6.5 million in NHS savings over three years
- Support more people to die in their place of choice, with dignity and comfort
We believe passionately that innovation should always be rooted in what matters most to people — and these programmes are a testament to that.
People, Place and Prevention
Our integrated approach brings together everything older adults need to age well: practical support, health interventions, meaningful activity, community connections and access to services. Many people experience this at our hubs, but just as many access support through:
- Community‑based Active Futures classes
- Social Prescribing embedded across Wrexham GP surgeries
- Targeted support delivered directly into people’s homes
- Our community transport model, which removes barriers and ensures no one is left behind
This whole‑system approach is what makes our work effective — and sustainable.
Supporting Wales’ National Priorities
What we do at Rainbow is closely aligned with key Welsh Government strategies such as Age Friendly Wales: Our Strategy for an Ageing Society and A Healthier Wales, both of which focus on prevention, community‑based intervention and integrated care.
Our approach also reflects national frameworks like the British Geriatrics Society’s CORE20PLUS5 framework for older people, ensuring we:
- Prioritise the most deprived communities
- Reach people at greatest risk of poor access or poor outcomes
- Improve frailty, dementia, falls, multimorbidity and end‑of‑life care
Above all, we focus on tackling inequality and strengthening prevention, right where people live.
It’s one of the reasons we retain one of the highest Social Return on Investment scores in the sector — £15.73 for every £1 invested.
A Proud Day for Our Organisation
As our Chief Executive, Caroline Tudor‑James, said during the visit:
“Her visit shows the growing recognition of the power of community‑led innovation in health and social care. Our holistic model—from our Hub Model to Active Futures and In My Place—demonstrates what’s possible when prevention, integration and compassion come together. We’re proud to support the vision for a healthier Wales.”
This visit wasn’t just a milestone for us — it was a celebration of the people, partnerships and communities that make our work possible every single day. And we’re only just getting started.