Age UK launches campaign to combat loneliness in later life

As Age UK launches its ‘No one should have no one to turn to’ campaign, new YouGov research for the charity has found that 2.65 million older people feel they have no one to turn to for help and support.

The campaign has a powerful new film highlighting some of the challenges that people often have to deal with in later life but which are so much harder to bear if you are facing them alone. These include coping with bereavement, tackling loneliness, getting the social care you need and managing health problems like dementia.

The YouGov survey found that almost a quarter of older people in the South East of England who felt they had no one to turn to said this left them feeling lonely (24 per cent), whilst almost one in five felt isolated (19 per cent) and almost one in six depressed (15 per cent). That’s why Age UK Buckinghamshire is urging people to support its campaign and donate to help ensure that the charity’s essential services, such as the free information and advice, Befriending Plus service and welfare benefits can continue to be there for older people facing the challenges of later life alone.

Befriending Plus aims to reduce feelings of loneliness by matching trained volunteers with shared interests to older people who have limited social contact. Welfare Benefits helps local older people find out if they are claiming all the welfare benefits they are entitled to. Information and Advice provides free, up-to-date, independent information, advice and support on all issues of concern to older people, their families, friends and carers.

Supporting Age UK’s latest campaign, actress Dame Judi Dench, said: “We all know that ageing is inevitable, but it’s heart-breaking to think of older people who feel they have no one they can turn to. Age UK is working hard to change this, and by supporting their ‘No one should have no one to turn to’ campaign you can help them to be there for older people who might have no one else.”

To find out how you can support Age UK Buckinghamshire by donating go to: www.ageukbucks.org.uk or call 01296 431911.

Anyone who needs support or is worried about an older relative or friend can get in touch by calling Age UK Buckinghamshire on 01296 431911 or visiting www.ageukbucks.org.uk.

Local charity’s video for children shortlisted for an award

Aylesbury-based cancer charity Lymphoma Action has been shortlisted in the prestigious Charity Film Awards for their animation for primary school-aged children.

The animated video, ‘If someone close to you has low-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma’, is designed to explain lymphoma to children. Voiced by a child, it covers what lymphoma is, the kind of treatment someone might have for lymphoma, and how a lymphoma diagnosis might affect day-to-day life.

Ropinder Gill, Chief Executive of the charity, explained: “We’re often asked to help parents who need to talk to children about a lymphoma diagnosis in the family. Their feedback suggested that a simple, visual approach would help to put the complicated condition across to kids in a way that was reassuring and easy to understand. We hope our animation does just that.”

Telling your child that you or someone they care about has cancer can be a very difficult conversation. It can be even more challenging when it’s a type of cancer that, despite its prevalence (lymphoma is the fifth most common cancer in the UK), is relatively unknown amongst the general population.

The film also explains some of the important differences between lymphoma and other cancers and explains the fairly complex level of detail in a straightforward way that children can understand.

Watch the video online here, and vote for it to win at the Charity Film Awards before midnight on December 14th to show your support.

To eat or to heat? You may have a choice, but some don’t…

As the cold weather sets in, the latest Government data shows that there are over 17,000 households in Buckinghamshire that are living in fuel poverty, with the highest numbers in Wycombe, closely followed by Aylesbury Vale.

Heart of Bucks, the community foundation for Buckinghamshire, is running a Winter Warmth campaign which will help vulnerable people across the county who struggle to keep warm during winter and are at risk of harm as a result of cold weather. The Winter Warmth campaign will help those living in fuel poverty, older people, lone parents with children under five, or households requiring additional heating because of a household member with a disability.

If you were born on or before November 5th 1953 you could get between £100 and £300 from the Government to help you pay your heating bills. Most payments are made automatically, however, many people across the county do not need this money.

If this is you, a simple way to support this campaign is to donate all or part of your payment. If you don’t receive a winter fuel payment you can still make a donation of any size and help to make a difference to the lives of those most in need in our county.

Heart of Bucks will be working with community and statutory organisations across the county who will act as delivery partners to ensure funding reaches those most in need. The grants awarded may be used for heating bills, but could also pay for essential household items which many of us take for granted, such as hot water bottles and warm blankets.

To donate online please visit: https://www.totalgiving.co.uk/appeal/winterwarmth

You can also donate by cheque made payable to ‘Heart of Bucks’ and sent to: Heart of Bucks Winter Warmth, Sunley House (4th floor), Oxford Road, Aylesbury, HP19 8EZ.

Greg Rutherford MBE leaps to the aid of two teenage Bucks athletes

Thalia Kirby, 17, a golfer from Marlow in Buckinghamshire and Ceara Barber, 16, a swimmer from Gerrards Cross have been awarded £1,000 each by long jump Olympic medallist Greg Rutherford MBE, on behalf of the Bucks SportsAid.

Created in 2011, the club is a way for local individuals, businesses and trusts who want to support young, talented athletes in Buckinghamshire to raise money to help with training, travel or equipment costs. Thalia and Ceara were selected by their national governing bodies to receive grants after their impressive starts to their sporting careers and their dedication and commitment to training.

Local Charities Day – December 14th

Local Charities Day will take place on Friday December 14th, shining a spotlight on the great work charities do across Buckinghamshire.

You can get involved in various ways:

• Check out the official Local Charities Day website
• Download the toolkit with materials to help you promote they day
• Add your charity’s details to the Local Charities Day map so people can find your charity
• Let everyone know what you’re up to for the big day by sharing pictures and stories with #LocalCharitiesDay and/or emailing [email protected]
• Write a short blog post about what your charity does and why you’re supporting Local Charities Day. Email [email protected] for more details.
• Get involved with these free webinars between December 12th-14th that cover all kinds of charitable topics

Charity Digital Code of Practice

The UK’s first Charity Digital Code of Practice has been published. 

The Code, which aims to help charities improve their digital skills and increase their take up of digital activity, is voluntary and free to access for all charities. It is being funded by Lloyds Banking Group and the Co-op Foundation and managed by a steering group of representatives from across the sector - including the Office for Civil Society. The steering group has been chaired by independent digital expert Zoe Amar.

Charity safeguarding measures

Stay up to date with government guidance on safeguarding and protecting people who come into contact with your charity.

Read about the new £2 million government fund aimed at bolstering safeguarding measures in the charitable sector.

Preparing for Brexit in the voluntary sector

The National Council for Voluntary Organisations has produced a report with guidance and information which voluntary sector organisations may find useful when preparing for Britain’s exit from the EU. Read it here.

Lloyds Bank Business and Charity Digital Index 2018 published

The Lloyds Bank Business and Charity Digital Index measures the digital capability and skills of charities and SMEs. Find more information here.

Send us your charity news

If you have any charity-related news like that above, send information to [email protected]. Our next charity newsletter will likely go out in March 2019.