Where: At various venues, see below
£: Donate your time
What is it?
Friends of the Elderly is a national charity that has been providing care homes across the country and community services such as telephone befriending, home visiting and grant-giving for over 80 years, helping thousands of older people to avoid and overcome loneliness and isolation each year.
This year they are running a special Christmas campaign called Friends Open Doors that has the potential be truly life-changing to the elderly people it touches.
They would like ‘Christmas Maker’ volunteers to join in with the older people in their communities by donating Christmas decorations and an hour and a half of their time to decorate their local Friends of the Elderly care home. If you are looking to make Christmas special this year then this is a brilliant way to do it.
In addition, the charity will be opening the doors of their care homes by providing 300 free extra festive lunches to older people from the wider communities around them who would otherwise be spending the Christmas period alone. If you know of someone in the local community whom this could benefit or would like to volunteer to help, then take a look at the list below.
Nottinghamshire:
Sherwood House care home, Linby: Christmas Makers event on 26th November 2.00 – 3.30pm.
Surrey:
Bernard Sunley care home, Woking: Christmas Makers event on 30th November 2.30 – 4.00pm.
Moor house care home, Staines: Christmas Makers event on 4th December 1.30 – 3.30pm. Christmas Lunch spaces on 6th, 13th, 19th, 24th, 31st December.
Orford House care home, Coulsdon: Christmas Makers event on 5th December 2.15 – 3.15pm.
Woodcote Grove House care home Coulsdon: Christmas Makers event on 12th December 2.30 – 4.00pm. Christmas Lunch spaces on 4th, 10th, 12th, 19th, 28th December.
Redcot care home, Haslemere: Christmas Makers event on 5th December 2.30 – 4.00pm. Christmas Lunch spaces on 28th November, 5th, 12th, 19th December & 9th January.
Visiting Friends, home support service, Weybridge: Christmas Makers event on 7th December 2.00 – 3.30pm.
Among Friends day care service, Wallington: Christmas Lunch on spaces 23rd & 26th November, 4th, 12th, 20th December.
Worcestershire:
Perrins House care home, Malvern: Christmas Makers event on 3rd December. Christmas Lunch spaces on 5th, 19th December, 4th, 9th January.
Among Friends Kidderminster day care centre, Kidderminster: Christmas Makers event on 4th December 1.30-3.30pm. Christmas Lunch spaces on 5th, 14th, 18th, 27th, 31st December.
Davenham care home, Worcestershire, Malvern: Christmas Makers event on 5th & 19th December, 4th & 9th January.
Bedfordshire:
Little Bramingham Farm care home, Luton: Christmas Lunch spaces on 5th, 12th, 21st & 25th December, 2nd January.
Essex:
New Copford Place care home, Colchester: Christmas Lunch spaces on 5th, 10th, 19th & 24th December, 2nd January.
Oxfordshire:
Old Vicarage care home, Moulsford: Christmas Lunch spaces on 5th & 19th December, 2nd & 9th January.
Hampshire:
The Lawn care home, Alton: Christmas Makers event on 3rd December 2.30-4.00pm. Christmas Lunch spaces, 12th, 19th & 26th December, 2nd January.
London:
Sir Thomas Lipton care home, Southgate: Christmas Makers event on 3rd December 2.30 – 4.00pm.
More info: Please also take a look at the website http://www.fote.org.uk/support-us/friends-open-doors/ for more details.