Over recent months, we have been developing a range of ways to support the work of Linking Lives UK. We are aware that there are many people who have a real passion and concern to ensure that older people are well supported and to reduce the likelihood of experiences of loneliness and social isolation. This is the primary focus of Linking Lives UK as we work with churches to address social isolation among older people on a national level. We currently have over 70 befriending schemes mostly operating in partnership with churches, and these are based in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
We recently received this feedback about the interaction between a volunteer and scheme member receiving regular phone calls:
“I’m here on my own and my back aches, then you ring me and we start talking and suddenly my back doesn’t hurt any more”.
The volunteer responded,
“How good it is to make a difference. Life is always better for a friendly chat”
There are a number of ways that you could support our work at this time, as loneliness continues to be a key issue in the lives of many people.
Financial Donations
We currently have some great opportunities to raise funds towards our work both on a national level and on a regional basis. Large and smaller gifts make a significant difference to us and those we are able to reach.
- National – For a limited time * all donations (up to £250) are being matched pound for pound by the National Emergencies Trust. This means that all donations made through our Crowdfunder Page will be DOUBLED enabling us to increase the impact in addressing loneliness and social isolation. Please do help us to take advantage of this great offer if you are able. For further details click here.
*(We are unsure for how long this offer is available)
- Devon – We are also raising funds for our work in addressing loneliness across Devon. Our Regional Development Officer has been engaging with key organisations and churches during the past 18 months and this has resulted in five befriending schemes currently being set up in the county. We are aware, however, that there is a need for much more to be done and so we are raising funds to continue this work through our Devon Crowdfunder. The page provides an opportunity to make a simple donation as well as requesting rewards (currently stationery packages) in return for a donation. We have applied for matched funding for this project and to be eligible we need to raise an initial £625 from at least 25 separate people so even small donations will help us to unlock further funds. For further details, click here.
Subscribing to Linking Lives Updates
We produce regular updates about our work and you can subscribe to these at any time. These are:
- Monthly Newsletters (‘Linking Lives News’) providing an update about recent developments within the charity, national news about loneliness and plans for the future.
- Quarterly Prayer Updates providing suggestions for prayer focusing on isolation among older people and our work to address this.
To subscribe to either of these updates, please click here.
Thank you for your interest in our work, and please contact us if you have any questions.
jeremy@linkinglives.uk
