The Foundation’s Objects are focused on helping and supporting isolated older people. In 2022 our programmes included:
- Silver Sunday, the national day for older people, returned to pre-pandemic levels of events with well over 1,000 taking place across the UK during the Silver Sunday period at the beginning of October; some 70 events were held in Westminster alone. These events were attended by tens of thousands of older people and supported by over one hundred organisations, including companies such as Bupa, Sanctuary, Metro Bank and HC-One, the largest care home provider in the country.
- The Westminster Tea Dance was restored to our calendar after a three year break. On 11th December 2022 the Great Room in The Grosvenor House Hotel was buzzing with music, singing and dancing, accompanied by a sumptuous afternoon tea. The event is entirely free to guests and was wonderfully supported by a team of volunteers from Westminster City Council and Metropolitan Police Service Volunteer Police Cadets.
- Against the backdrop of a bleak economic outlook, we continued with our Christmas programme of support to some of the most vulnerable at this time of year:
- We arranged for 800 Christmas hampers to be delivered to the most isolated, disadvantaged and impoverished older people in the city. Five hundred of the hampers were funded by the Victoria BID.
- Some went to carers to recognise what a difficult job so many of them do, and some to the Council care homes, where their delivery was accompanied by Westminster singer, Lucy Clark. This was a highlight for many of the residents.
- The hampers were delivered by wonderful Council volunteers (from ‘Westminster Connects’) and Foundation staff. This extra human contact was very much welcomed by the recipients and the hampers lifted the spirits of so many at a difficult time of year.
