Age UK Wandsworth Celebrates Its 60th With Fundraising Extravaganza
Independent local charity sets target for crucial funding push
The charity assists thousands of older people each year
August 14, 2023
Age UK Wandsworth is carrying out a vital fundraising campaign in honour of its 60th birthday, pointing out that it gets all its money via its applications for grants.
“Did you know that we are an entirely separate charity to Age UK, and that we get all of our funding through grants that we apply for,” said a spokesperson.
The small, independent local charity operates with a small team of experienced staff which is supported by a network of dedicated volunteers. Throughout its six decades of operation, staff and volunteers have worked to help older people stay independent at home for as long as they wish.
“You can help us to celebrate today by making a donation,” says the charity. “Whether you choose to donate a one-off amount, or to set up a regular donation to support us to continue our work well into the future, every penny really does help us to change the lives of older people in the borough.”
Donations for the 60k fundraiser can be made here,
while workplace, school or social groups who would like to get involved in the celebrations by fundraising can email Fundraising Coordinator, Ruth, at ruth.eldridge@ageukwandsworth.org.uk to get started.
Age UK Wandsworth’s story begins in 1963 when it was known as Wandsworth Older People's Welfare Council. Working out of a borrowed room in Tooting, the team made regular appeals for volunteers to visit housebound older people, as well as offering monthly advice sessions on money. From these humble beginnings began two of Wandsworth Age UK’s most successful services - Be-a-Friend, and Information and Advice.
Growing throughout the end of the 20th century, more assistance was added - including the Handyperson Service - thanks to various grants from the NHS, Wandsworth Council, and charitable trusts, as well as community fundraising.
Over the last sixty years Age UK Wandsworth has had a few name changes. It was Age Concern Wandsworth for many years before the national merger of Age Concern England and Help the Aged in 2009 to form Age UK. The charity has also put down roots across the borough, moving from its Tooting start-up days to the Arndale Shopping Centre (now Southside) before moving to its current location on Old York Road.
It now operates a wide range of services that assist thousands of older people every year, whether through supporting an unpaid carer in claiming money that they didn’t know they were eligible for, to fitting handrails in the home of someone who has been discharged from hospital to reduce their risk of falling, or even providing specialist dementia care to an older person at its day centre. To name just a few of its services.
"Age UK Wandsworth staff have helped me and my service users in so many different situations: the Handyperson service, Hospital Discharge Support, Befriending services and even Online Food Shopping,” says a Wandsworth-based Occupational Therapist who works with the borough’s elderly. “All of these services are absolutely essential and I don't know how my team would manage without this provision in place. Furthermore, the staff are absolutely great and always available to help. Thank you for everything you do!"
Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We’ve always done that and won’t be changing, in fact we’d like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we’d be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you’d like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |
