In 2018, we awarded a grant of £25,000 towards the refurbishment of their new premises hub.

Organisation

Link Age Southwark has been providing volunteer support to older people aged 60 and over for the last 25 years. It aims to reduce isolation and loneliness, and to help older people to maintain active lives within the community. The free services offered are: one-to-one befriending visits, activity groups and volunteer transport, practical support such as light gardening and DIY, and intergenerational work with local schools. Link Age also provides specialist support to people living with mild to moderate dementia. Referrals come from a range of sources including health and social care professionals, family and friends, and individuals themselves.

In 2018, almost 650 older people with an average age of 82 were supported by 440 dedicated volunteers.

Refurbishment project

The redevelopment of the site where Link Age Southwark's premises were based, meant they had to look for new ffordable premises. Moving to new premises presents Link Age Southwark with an exciting opportunity to create an accessible and welcoming hub for older people and volunteers in the heart of the community.  The new premises had a hugely positive impact on the morale of Link Age Southwark's staff and volunteers. It has been easier to accomodate confidential conversations through flexible use of the small meeting rooms and outside spaces that our architect designed into the plan. Also, the open plan office has had extremely positive benefits such as greater social and professional interaction across different staff teams and volunteer roles, breaking down 'silo' working and increasing understanding between people involved in different aspects of the charity's work - from assessments of older people to volunteer training, running groups, and community fundraising.

The charity had raised £10,000 at the time of application and we awarded a grant of £25,000 towards a total project budget of £100,000.