As local charity Link Age Southwark continues to celebrate 30 years of alleviating loneliness and reducing social isolation for older people and those living with a diagnosis of dementia, we caught up with Chief Executive Sophie Wellings to find out more about how you can support the charity’s work.
How has Link Age Southwark’s 30th anniversary year been going?
It’s wonderful to be able to celebrate 30 years of our work. We’ve hosted some lovely events including a big party for our service users and volunteers as well as our annual Sunset Soiree event which, this year, took place at Dulwich Picture Gallery. The event showcased the photographic exhibition that has been compiled to mark this year, as well as our Pearls of Wisdom film project where some of our service users are reflecting on their lives and achievements. It’s been a wonderful celebration of the lives of Southwark’s older people.
What’s next in the Link Age Southwark events diary?
We’re inviting everyone to join us in beautiful Dulwich Park on Sunday 10 September (11am to 3pm) for our first-ever ‘Sponsored Strollathon’. It’ll be a fun, family-friendly, accessible event, with distances to suit all ages and abilities. If people get sponsored to take part, they’ll be helping raise valuable funds to support our work. Herne Hill-based big band The Fabulous Honeys will play live in the Park from 1pm, so we’re encouraging people to bring a picnic and make a day of it.
How can people get involved with the Strollathon?
There’s still time to register to take part in the Strollathon – whether you’re going to do it solo, it with friends, family, colleagues or four legged friends, we’d love you to join us. Every Strollathon participant will receive a medal and T-shirt, refreshments, fundraising support and much more www.linkagesouthwark.org/Event/sponsored-strollathon-2023 On the day, you can also find out more about what Link Age Southwark does, and make a donation.
Are there other ways to support Link Age Southwark?
The work we do continues to be of real importance, particularly given the impact of the last two years and the current cost of living crisis. We’d love more people to get involved as volunteers – it can make a huge difference in the life of a local older person who may be feeling lonely or isolated. We offer volunteers lots of support. Our befriending service makes a huge difference to the lives of older people and only requires a couple of hours commitment each week for a cup of tea, a chat or maybe a gentle stroll. We also have telephone buddies, who make weekly calls to offer them a listening ear, a friendly voice and someone to check on how they are doing. There is more information on our website Volunteer roles (linkagesouthwark.org) Or come along to our Sponsored Strollathon on 10 September and have a chat – we’d love to see you there!