Omaze house draw helps Age UK Norwich to fund social activities

A partnership with Omaze has seen Age UK Norwich receive a donation to help fund its vital social activities and support older people in Norwich and its surroundings. 

Age UK partnered with Omaze and their Million Pound House Draw last year, which offered participants the chance to win a luxurious £4 million Lake District property and £250,000 in cash. The draw raised £5,250,000 for Age UK – the highest amount Omaze has ever raised for a charity partner. The money has been split between Age UK’s national services and local Age UKs across the country, including Age UK Norwich, enabling the Charity to extend its social activity offerings and helping to support its friendship services.

Age UK Norwich’s services are crucial to older people in the local community. Take Jayne, for example. At first, she felt very anxious about joining our clubs, and it took several months of gentle encouragement from one of our community workers, who even accompanied her to her very first coffee clubs. From that small first step, Jayne has since become a regular at our arts and crafts clubs. Recently, she even attended the Over 50s Night Out on her own – a huge milestone considering how nervous she once felt about coming alone. On that evening, Jayne reconnected with a few ladies she’d met through the library group, and just last week they all came together to celebrate her birthday. Seeing her journey from isolation to friendship and confidence has been incredibly rewarding.

The donation will help to fund Age UK Norwich’s Befriending services as well as some clubs, which provide companionship, reduce loneliness, and create safe spaces where older people can build friendships, share experiences, and feel more connected to their community.

Dan Skipper, Chief Executive Officer at Age UK Norwich said: “We’re thrilled to receive this donation from Omaze to support older people in Norwich. Contributions like this play a vital role in enabling us to provide essential services to older people and ensure we can be there for even more people in the future.

“Our services help hundreds of older people in Norwich and it’s through the continued generosity of partners like Omaze that we’re able to keep making a difference where it’s needed most.”

For more information on the services provided by Age UK Norwich please visit www.ageuknorwich.org.uk or call 01603 496 333.

James Oakes, President of Omaze, said:

“Everyone at Omaze is delighted that our biggest ever raise for a charity partner is already helping Age UK have a huge impact – supporting older people across the UK, including in Norwich. Omaze offers people the chance to win amazing houses, while introducing charities to new audiences they might never otherwise reach – it’s a real win-win for both entrants and our charity partners.

“We’re immensely proud that the Omaze community has now raised over £100 million for good causes across the UK – funding life-changing work in communities up and down the country.”