Join Battersea Park run to support Friends of the Elderly
TrustATrader, an online traders directory, is calling on its members to take part in 5k and 10k races through Battersea Park on Sunday the 18th of October 2015, all in the name of its official charity, Friends of the Elderly.
Founded in 1905, Friends of the Elderly supports older people through a number of care and community initiatives, with the aim of building a society in which all elderly citizens are treated with respect and enabled to live life to its full.
The charity’s research shows that over five million1 older people are affected by loneliness, and this is something that plumbers, electricians and builders see for themselves every day as they go in and out of peoples’ homes to carry out maintenance and safeguarding works.
With more than one in ten older people admitting to feeling lonely, this campaign encourages neighbours to get to know each other. Popping by for a cup of tea or stopping for a chat over the garden fence really can make a huge difference in an elderly person’s life, and can enrich a younger person’s life too.
If we don’t start making a change now, it’s estimated that the amount of older people feeling lonely in the UK will rise by 40% over the next 15 years. This is due to demographic adjustments, wherein more people are living longer and often outliving their loved ones, whilst housing constraints mean more people are forced to live further away from the loved ones they do still have left.
Steve Allen, Chief Executive at Friends of the Elderly, says: “We are absolutely delighted to be working with TrustATrader to reduce loneliness in the older population. Having a team of traders running in Battersea Park to fundraise for our befriending services is the perfect launch to our partnership, and we look forward to many more traders getting involved in the future. We believe that feeling lonely or alone shouldn’t be a natural part of getting older and we aspire to a society where all older people have the opportunity to live fulfilled lives. With your support, we make that vision a reality.”
To sign up for the 5k or 10k race, click here, and don’t forget to specify that you’re running for Friends of the Elderly.
1 PHAM News, 2015. Join Battersea Park run to support Friends of the Elderly. [Online] Available at: http://www.phamnews.co.uk/join-battersea-park-run-to-support-friends-of-the-elderly/. [Accessed 14th August 2015].