Business community hears about charity's plans

Age UK Cheshire East opened its doors at a recent breakfast event to tell the local business community all about its work, how it can get involved in supporting the charity’s cause and to announce an exciting new project that is currently being developed.

The breakfast event, hosted in conjunction with North Cheshire Chamber of Commerce, was an opportunity to tell local businesses about the wide range of services the charity undertakes for older people, and how the charity has had to evolve its funding model due to the challenging financial environment, where funding from bodies such as the Council have dramatically reduced. The event was also supported by Macclesfield MP, David Rutley.

Over breakfast, those present heard how the charity now relies on less than 2% of its income from statutory bodies, instead raising its own funds through its shops, some charged-for services, as well as local fundraising. To assist with income generation, the charity has developed a Business Supporters Scheme, and two of the supporters, North West Mediation Solutions and Thorneycrofts Solicitors, were both present to talk about their support for the charity.

Charity Chief Executive Damon Taylor said “we are really grateful to our Business Supporters for their support and its great to have them here today to raise awareness of our partnership. As we generate more income, it enables us to provide a wider range of desperately needed services to support local older people.”

One of the projects that is currently being developed by the charity is a project to help support older people who had been victims of scams and doorstep crime, as well as raising awareness for older people on how to avoid being scammed. 

The project, which is currently seeking funding, particularly appealed to David Rutley MP, who said “Scams cause enormous harm and distress to local residents, with older people particularly vulnerable to them. This new project is a positive response to this issue, and I was pleased to learn more about the Charity’s important plans. I will continue to support Age UK in its work to protect older people from the scourge of such scams and in achieving its wider objectives within the community.”