In 2025, we have been asking ourselves: can we change how we age? There are huge challenges to this, of course, with loneliness and the cost of living combining to produce a crisis hidden in plain sight.
It is in these situations that we’re able to see the resilience of older people in the face of adversity, as well as the variety of ways Age UK’s services continue to offer support across the country. This year, our Age UK Network has helped to support around 1.3 million older people.
Winter wins
January is a difficult time for older people, as the celebratory air of Christmas and its opportunities to see others is replaced by cold temperatures and quiet. It’s therefore a time when it’s important to put our best foot forward, which we were able to do this year thanks to our partnership with Omaze.
As many of you will know, Omaze offers the opportunity for people to enter a prize draw to win an incredible house, raising millions for charity in the process – and in January, we were thrilled to learn that Omaze customers had helped to raise £5.25 million for our vital work. It’s Omaze’s biggest total to date and has allowed us to continue providing services that help older people feel valued and included. Those funds raised have already been put into action by every local Age UK, as well as Age Cymru, Age Scotland and Age NI.
January is also a time for New Year's resolutions and for challenging yourself – something that can be even more rewarding by fundraising for a cause close to your heart. It doesn’t have to be about athletic exertion either, as fundraiser James demonstrated when he decided to mark his grandfather Walter’s 100th birthday with an epic DJ set, raising almost £500 for Age UK thanks to his prowess behind the decks.
Springing into action
Every day, local Age UKs across the country dedicate themselves to bringing communities together – and this spring, we saw for ourselves how our local partners are helping new friendships to bloom.
At Age UK Hillingdon, Harrow & Brent, a longstanding knitting group were a very welcoming bunch when we visited them – and productive too: last year, attendees knitted at least 4,000 little hats as part for the Age UK innocent Big Knit campaign (which saw a remarkable 1.3 million hats knitted overall). Plus, their Caribbean Club is going from strength to strength. “It’s a well-loved, well-nurtured and very caring group of people,” explained Juliet, the founder of the group. “That’s pretty natural to people from the Caribbean – that’s just what we’re like!”
Plenty of other local Age UK groups are also helping to create a sense of belonging – such as the Rainbow Café, run by Age UK Richmond upon Thames, which provides local LGBT+ people with regular opportunities for a catch up and a cuppa in comfort. As Carol, one of the group’s founders explained: “This is a safe space – where you don’t have to explain yourself and your backstory every time.”
Spring also saw the launch of our Act Now, Age Better campaign, which encourages us all to keep moving as much as possible, so that we can age in the best way possible. With our commitment to transforming public attitudes to ageing and starting a national conversation about what it means to get older, focusing on the importance of staying active is a great way to kick things off. We’re living longer, and with the right choices, we can live better too.
That’s also a sentiment shared by our friends at Age UK West Sussex, Brighton and Hove and their age-friendly gym, where people in their 80s are coming in for inductions – many of them having never been to a gym before. That’s the spirit!
Ageing myths debunked
As part of our Act Now, Age Better campaign, Dr Hussain Al-Zubaidi shared tips for getting active in later life.
A celebratory summer
Every month of the year, we’re working to bring about real change for older people. That’s why the Government’s decision in June to reinstate the Winter Fuel Payment for everyone over the State Pension age in England and Wales was such a positive result. It was testament to the people power of our campaign, which included a petition that received 650,000+ signatures and more than 100,000 emails sent by our campaigners to MPs.
The summer also brought plenty of things to celebrate for our local Age UKs. In July, around 300 attendees took to the floor for Age UK Somerset’s tea dance, which raised more than £2,000 for its services. And for many of the dancers, the event was also a wonderful opportunity to socialise. “Around half of the people who come to the event dance, while the other half watch, enjoy the atmosphere, and treat themselves to a bit of cake,” said Kate, who helped run the event. “It’s nice to give people something to look forward to.”
We were also delighted to attend Age UK Norwich’s very special birthday in August. For 80 years, Age UK Norwich has been supporting older people across the city, and their week-long programme of workshops, events, talks, and an archive exhibition helped to showcase the work that has been achieved and the lives changed. As well as reflecting on the past, the celebration also looked to the future – and particularly, our shared Age UK ambition to change how we age. As the charity’s Patron, William Armstrong OBE, explained: “The most important reminder is not what we have done, but that the reminder that we are still so needed.”
Looking ahead this autumn
As the weather has turned colder, this reminder that we’re needed continues to echo. In September, we published our 10th annual report on the State of Health and Care of Older People in England. It reveals that while many of us are living longer than in 2015, on many other measures we have gone backwards. Key issues affecting older people are being overlooked on a mass scale, and with huge long-term consequences. More recently, our follow-up report on Corridor Care illustrated the number of older people waiting for hours in unsuitable corridors in hospitals, and has attracted significant media and political attention.
The notion of long-term consequences is a theme that plays out in our Ageing While Black report, too. The report specifically examines the experiences of older people of Black Caribbean heritage living in England, revealing the devastating effect lifelong discrimination and racism have on health and finances in older age. As the UK’s older population becomes more diverse, we must better understand how people from different ethnic backgrounds are experiencing ageing so that we can ensure we’re helping every older person to age better.
However, autumn has also been full of hope and joy. On 5 October, we marked this year’s Silver Sunday – a day dedicated to older people. Communities, local Age UKs, councils and cultural organisations came together to offer hundreds of free activities and events across the country, all with the purpose of celebrating later life. In London, we witnessed Bollywood dancing, a tour of Lord’s Cricket Ground and some salsa with Strictly star Katya Jones to name just a few!
Events like this help to keep loneliness at bay for older people who are feeling isolated – just like our Telephone Friendship Service does. This Christmas, our fundraising campaign is shining a spotlight on Sandra, Michael and Brenda, three older people who have bravely shared their stories of loneliness and resilience. For each of them, a weekly phone call with an Age UK telephone friend has brought light to a dark time. “I look forward to my chats with Jasmine,” Brenda has told us. “Because some days I don’t see a soul.”
As we enter a new year, my sincere hope is that Age UK’s services, both nationally and locally, will continue to shine a light for older people – bringing comfort, care and connection, and working together to change how we age.
