Help an older person in Solihull this winter
As temperatures drop and festive lights begin to glow, we are calling on the Solihull community to help older residents of Solihull who face the winter months in isolation, anxiety, and financial hardship.
Solihull has one of the fastest-ageing populations in the UK, with 21.3% of residents aged 65 and over - well above the national average. It’s estimated that more than 3,400 older people in the borough are experiencing loneliness, and many are struggling to afford heating, food, or even basic home repairs.
Loneliness is a growing crisis - one that’s often hidden in plain sight. Loneliness can be as harmful as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, and it is often felt even more deeply in the winter months when combined with health issues, higher fuel bills and rising costs of food and other essentials.
Our services, including befriending visits, lunch clubs and other activities, digital skills training, and support with reconnecting with the community, offer a lifeline to those most at risk.
With winter being the most difficult time of year for many older people in Solihull, we've been busy planning festive activities, including Christmas meals, gifts and parties, to make this time of year a little brighter for the people we support. For many older people, these activities will be the only celebration they have this festive season.
We need your help to enable us to continue to provide our vital services and support older people who need us this winter and beyond. Every action - whether a donation, a bake sale, or a friendship visit - helps ensure older people in Solihull feel remembered, supported, and connected.
Help us to be here
Every donation, no matter the size, can help Age UK Solihull provide the human connection that too many older people live without. We are a local charity and every donation to Age UK Solihull stays in Solihull to help us support older and vulnerable people in the borough.
Get involved
With your help this Christmas, we can make all the difference to older people who call us, with nowhere else to turn. We’ll help them overcome their challenges. We’ll help them find confidence again.
Many of us are feeling the pinch this winter, but if you are able give a donation, even a small amount can help us to make a difference.
Or read on for our festive fundraising ideas that local businesses, community groups and individuals can take part in, to help us continue providing our services for local older and vulnerable people who need us this festive period and beyond.
Raise Funds
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Virtual Santa Dash
The Virtual Santa Dash is a fun 5k run that can be done with friends, family, colleagues or on your own.
Take this challenge on anytime between now and 25 December. Do it in your running gear or in Christmassy fancy dress!
Set up a JustGiving page and ask friends, family and colleagues to sponsor you.
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Sign up to Jingle Bakes
Enjoy your favourite treats, spread some festive cheer, and help raise vital funds for Age UK Solihull at the same time by organising a Jingle Bakes Christmas bake sale!
Hold your bake sale at home, at work, with friends, neighbours or colleagues – the choice is yours.
Sign up to host a Jingle Bakes sale in aid of Age UK Solihull below, and we will send you a ho-ho-hosting pack with activities, decorations, recipes, and everything else you need to make your bake sale a sweet success.
Join our activities
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Christmas Raffle
Play our Christmas Raffle for the chance to win an incredible prize, while raising vital funds to help us support local older people.
Play online or get in touch if you'd like paper tickets.
Thank you to everyone who has played so far and to all the businsses who donated prizes!
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Volunteer
Find out what festive volunteering opportunities we have available, including collecting donations at our Carol Singing Days, wrapping presents to give to lonely older people, joining Santa and his sleigh around the streets of Shirley, or helping on a stand at a Christmas Fayre.
There is sure to be an opportunity to suit you where you can have fun while raising funds to help older Solihull resdients this festive season.
Stuck for Christmas Gift Ideas?
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Weekly Lottery Membership
Why not buy a friend or loved one a membership for our Weekly Lottery?
For just £1 per play, they will be entered into our weekly draws with the chance of winning cash prizes up to £25,000! And at the same time, their membership will also help to raise funds to enable us provide our services.
Playing our lottery is a win-win situation for everybody involved! You can play yourself or buy a gift voucher for family or friends.
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Tandem Skydive
If you have a daredevil in your life, you could gift them the experience of a lifetime by paying the £35 registration fee for a sponsored tandem skydive.
If they raise at least £550 for Age UK Solihull, we will cover the rest of the cost of the jump!
Cards and Gifts
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Christmas Cards
Our Christmas cards are available to buy now!
Let your family, friends and colleagues know you're thinking of them this festive season while helping to raise funds for older people in Solihull.
You can order cards for yourself, or we can provide a stock for you to sell via your business or community group.
If you'd rather save time and the planet, why not make a donation in lieu of sending cards?
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Gift appeal
We are collecting boxes of biscuits, chocolates and selection packs for us to give out at our Christmas parties for older people who might otherwise not receive a gift this Christmas.
Please get in touch if you are interested in collecting as a business or group.
Donations need to be with us by Friday 20 November. Keep an eye out for places you can drop your donations to.
Alternatively, you can visit Dunelm Solihull, find one of our tags on their Delivering Joy tree, and buy a gift for one of our befriending clients, who are likely to be spending Christmas alone.
These gifts make a huge difference to Solihull residents who might be lonely, isolated, or experiencing financial hardship this festive season.
Raise Funds for FREE
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Help us win £1,000!
Please nominate us to receive a £1,000 donation in the Benefact Group's 12 Days of Giving.
Simply click below, scroll down and complete the simple form. Then please share with your friends and family to give us more chances of winning!
Charity name: Age Concern Solihull (this is our registered charity name but we trade as Age UK Solihull)
Charity number: 1055887
Charity type: Community
Thank you for your support.
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Make your Christmas shopping mean more
Christmas shopping with easyfundraising means more than just gifts for loved ones, it means donations that help make a difference!
Over 7,500 shops and sites will donate to Age UK Solihull at no extra cost to you - so you can raise donations when you buy gifts, decorations, your festive food or anything else.
Want to get involved?
Complete this form to let us know what festive fundraising activity you're interested, and we'll be in touch with further details.