As we head towards the end of the year, it's a good time to look back on our highlights and the challenges we have faced, as well as to look forward to 2025.
My overwhelming feeling about 2024 has been appreciation of the incredible hard work that's being done in support of older people facing real challenges. Last week, I was at Age UK Oldham, meeting some of the participants of the Men in Sheds group there, as well as members of other community groups, where attendees were taking part in Christmas games. Staff, volunteers and people who use our services told me about the resilience they managed to find in a state of adversity.
Like Mike* who started at Men in Sheds after his wife died. He had no one to turn to but saw an ad in his local GP surgery advertising the service and thought he'd go along. He told me that for two years, these men were the only people he saw every week. Slowly his confidence grew, and now he's a volunteer "buddy", welcoming new members.
And at a staff level, I talked to Joan. Her skill when she's out and about as an in-person befriending volunteer is her ability to spot an empty fridge, or the need for an extra grab rail in the homes she visits. We know these simple things reduce the chance of malnutrition or the likelihood of a fall.
Finding answers to big questions
That’s the story for all of us at Age UK. We've had to face the challenge of the changes to Winter Fuel payments, which we have met by providing (what I believe to be) the best benefit service in the country for older people – one that has even been endorsed by Martin Lewis, the Money Saving Expert.
The strength of Age UK’s volunteering is our whole-hearted and professional focus on older people, on those most in need and most vulnerable. This focus must be a part of a new approach to changing the way we age, but also a central part of the way the new Government approaches some extremely difficult situations.
We know that there are deep-seated challenges facing the way we age in our society – and the often negative way ageing is perceived – both now and in the future. Our new identity – Let's change how we age – has got people starting to talk. Why is it that we're not thinking about an ageing population? What can we do to ensure older people are healthier and happier in the future? And how do we tackle issues that are tricky to control, like social care?
We face many challenges – our sustainability as a network, how to respond to global conflict, and how to make the most of our resources. But it is our resilience in the face of adversity and our ability to find hope and innovation that will see us through.
Looking forward
This month alone, we are seeing fresh partnerships with Omaze, The Sun newspaper, and Christmas support from Dunelm, all of which will bring new audiences and awareness to our mission to change the way we age. And just last week our magnificent Love Christmas event in St. Paul’s Cathedral featured supporters such as Ella Henderson (and her amazing 88-year-old nan), Tony Robinson, Penny Smith and Dame Penelope Wilton.
I'd like to thank all our supporters, our staff and volunteers and everyone who helps our work at Age UK. In the words of Steve, one of our Christmas storytellers who I had the pleasure of meeting last week: “Thanks to Age UK, I’ve got a friend I can rely on.”
