Spreading festive joy with the support of the community
Published on 05 January 2026 12:09 PM
We have delivered a season of joy, connection, and support to older and vulnerable residents across the borough this Christmas, thanks to the extraordinary generosity of local people, schools, businesses, and volunteers.
Despite the challenges many face during the festive season, our staff and volunteers worked tirelessly to make this time of year a little brighter for those who may otherwise have spent it alone or in financial hardship.
Members of our social clubs enjoyed festive lunches, entertainment, activities, and gifts. Gentle exercise class participants also celebrated together, each receiving a tub of chocolates kindly bought and wrapped by National Gas Metering.
Over 500 gifts were donated in total by organisations and individuals across Solihull, including Paragon Banking, Morgan Parkes Recruitment, Birmingham International Train Station, National Gas Metering, Dunelm Solihull, St Alphege Rotary, Shirley Heath Junior School, Meriden C of E School, Alderbrook School, Blossomfield Grange Care Home, Prologis UK, residents of Lady Byron Lane, and many generous members of the public.
Teams of volunteers — including groups from Paragon Banking, Prologis UK, and Marsh Insurance — sorted and wrapped the gifts ready for distribution.
The gifts made a huge difference to vulnerable Solihull residents. Many of the gift bags made up by Paragon Banking included gift vouchers, offering vital help to those struggling financially. One grateful recipient said: “I cannot begin to tell you how emotional I was when I received the gift card… the warmth I felt was something else. I still cannot find the words that express my gratitude, so I’ll just say thank you for your compassion, patience and knowledge in supporting me, and a thank you to Paragon for their generosity.”
Our befriending team delivered frozen meals and gifts to older residents who would be alone over Christmas. The meals were provided at a discounted rate by Eric Lyons butchers, and the gifts were donated by customers of Dunelm Solihull as part of their Delivering Joy campaign. Age UK Solihull staff and volunteers stopped for a chat while delivering the gifts, which may have been the only social interaction some of the clients had during the festive period.
The frozen meals, parties, and some of our other festive activities were supported by generous funding from We Are All Making A Difference, IMI plc, and Blue Orchid.
Our clients were also invited to three special festive events hosted by organisations in the community:
Dunelm hosted a Delivering Joy event in Birmingham, featuring bingo, crafts, and gifts.
National Gas Metering invited 28 older people for Christmas lunch at the Crowne Plaza, complete with bingo, carols, and mince pies. One attendee said: “Your team and the team from National Gas Metering were all so attentive. We couldn’t have been looked after any more than we were.”
St Peter’s Catholic School held a wonderful Christmas dinner, where students served a two‑course meal, performed musical pieces and Irish dancing, and gifted each guest a stocking of treats.
A series of festive fundraising activities helped raise essential funds to keep the our services running:
Festive collection days with performances from local choirs and bands at Notcutts Garden Centre, Birmingham International Train Station, Touchwood and Solihull High Street raised over £800.
Two evenings with Shirley Lions and their Santa sleigh brought festive cheer and donations across Shirley.
Our Christmas Raffle raised over £1,500, a record-breaking total, supported by generous prize donations from local businesses including The Regency Hotel, Green’s Cocktail Lounge, Solihull Summer Fest, Chiltern Railways, Adlington Farm and more. See full list here.
Chocolate bouquet raffles run by 60 businesses and community groups have already raised over £1,000, with more funds still coming in.
Supporters also purchased Christmas cards, and many individuals made personal donations.
We also hosted a festive get‑together for our wonderful volunteers, thanking them for their dedication with cakes, hot drinks, and a raffle.
Rebecca Jacob, Fundraising Manager at Age UK Solihull, said, “We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has supported us this Christmas — from businesses and schools to volunteers and individuals. Your kindness has made a real difference to older people in Solihull at a time when loneliness and hardship can feel especially overwhelming. Thanks to you, we’ve been able to bring comfort, joy and connection to hundreds of residents.”
Age UK Solihull extends its warmest thanks to the entire community for helping ensure no older person felt forgotten this festive season.
While the festivities are now over, we are still working hard to help older residents stay warm, well and connected during the winter months. If you’d like to donate to help us continue our work, please click below: