The hours turn slowly into days and still no one calls, no one visits and no one asks. This heartbreaking isolation is life for so many older people in the UK who face not just another day, but another Christmas alone.
More than 2 million older people in the UK wish they had someone to spend time with at Christmas. This Christmas let’s work together to make sure older people aren’t left out in the cold.
For most of us the festive season is a time of great togetherness and a shining light in the dark, winter months. But for many older people, living virtually without human contact, the most social time of year only compounds their loneliness.
No one should struggle alone. When you enter The Lake District House Draw supporting Age UK you’ll be helping to provide vital friendship, social activities and practical support to older people who are in desperate need of human kindness.
Older people can easily go from a life filled with people, and purpose, to being alone and practically confined to their home. In many cases declining confidence, health or mobility can make going out difficult and many are empty nesters whose family members have moved away.
Together, we can change this. With your help, Age UK can offer a friendly voice, a listening ear, and a helping hand when it’s needed most, to older people across the country.
Let’s look at some of the lives that Age UK has touched with its Telephone Friendship Service.
Brenda, 88, London
Brenda had enjoyed spending time in her communal garden and even volunteered in an Age UK charity shop before it closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now Brenda struggles to get out at all and her weekly chats with her befriender Jasmine, 60 years her junior, help to keep her connected to the world.
“I just go and sit on my chairlift because out the front is a main road, so I watch as the buses go past, and I’ve got people walking by as well. Sometimes I sit here and cry my eyes out, but Jasmine’s calls help cheer me up.”
Agatha, 80, London
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Agatha received food packages from Age UK Wandsworth. Agatha used to volunteer for Age UK’s Telephone Friendship Service and on reception at Age UK Wandsworth, where she facilitated coffee mornings, but this stopped because of the pandemic. Due to restricted mobility, Agatha has to be helped downstairs by her morning carer, and gets about less than she used to.
Rosemary, 92, Kent
Rosemary's life used to be filled with people but now she just spends hours watching the birds and foxes through her flat window, and sometimes days pass before she speaks to another human being.
Rosemary’s calls with her Age UK telephone friend have a huge impact on her life, and she looks forward to them every week as a distraction from her isolation.
How Will Your Entries Help Age UK?
Every entry into The Lake District House Draw will help raise vital funds for Age UK to transform loneliness into connection with vital friendship and support for older people who are struggling in silence.
- £1,000,000 could provide older people with 2 million minutes of human connection.
- £2,000,000 could provide older people with 4 million minutes of human connection.
- £3,000,000 could provide older people with 6 million minutes of human connection.
So, enter the Lake District House Draw now for your chance to win this Enchanting £4,000,000 House on the shore of Coniston Water, along with £250,000 in cash, and to help Age UK offer older people vital human connection through Christmas and beyond.
It’s a win-win so why wait?
