The Foundation’s Objects are focused on helping and supporting isolated older people.  In 2023 our programmes included:

• Silver Sunday, the national day for older people, took place on and around Sunday, 1^st October 2023.  It was our most successful yet with over 2,000 fun and free events taking place across the UK; 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.

     

• We have been in discussions with Age UK, the UK’s leading charity for older people, since June 2023 about the future of Silver Sunday.  We handed Silver Sunday over to Age UK on 27^th March 2024.  We are very excited about its future development and growth as Age UK has the breadth, depth and resources to enable Silver Sunday to achieve its full potential as the national day for older people.
• The Westminster Tea Dance was held on Sunday, 10^th December 2023 in the Great Room of the Grosvenor House hotel.  This annual jamboree of music, singing, dancing and a delicious cream tea is much anticipated by older Westminster residents and was heavily oversubscribed.  We are hugely grateful to so many: the hotel and their staff, who looked after us superbly; the performers who made the party; our Westminster charitable partners and the Westminster care homes, who brought many guests with them; and the London Police Cadets and so many volunteers from ‘Westminster Connects’, the Council’s volunteer service, without whom this event would not be possible.
• Our VIP guest this year was Derrick Evans MBE, professionally known as ‘Mr Motivator’.  He was hugely popular and inspired our guests.  He also presented a Fortnum & Mason Christmas Hamper to our oldest guest, Mr Percy Chafer, who was 104.  Other VIP guests included The Lord Mayor of Westminster, the Leader of Westminster City Council and other Councillors and Council senior officers. 

      

• In these difficult times we continued with our Christmas programme of support to some of the most vulnerable in Westminster at this time of year.  Volunteers from Westminster Connects helped us to deliver 800 Christmas hampers to the most isolated, disadvantaged and impoverished older people in the city.  We also delivered some to carers, to recognise the contribution they make, and to Council care homes.  Five hundred of these hampers were funded by Westminster Business Improvement Districts.

   

• 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.