Falling temperatures, financial constraints and less opportunity to socialise can mean winter is a difficult time for some people, but one charity is stepping up to help, writes Matt Hasdell…
Around the side of Dulwich Grove Church on a Friday, you will find one of Link Age Southwark’s ‘Warm Spaces’ underway, offering refuge from the cold outside.
Kitchen staff serve tea, soup and cake free of charge to the over-60’s who gather here each week. Over tables in the hall, groups play games and share stories with one another.
“It helps them not just to survive, but to live and cherish life,” said Fitsum Dubale, a group assistant.
Nearly one million people over 65 across England often feel lonely, with loneliness linked to acceleration of frailty and increased risk of physical and mental illness, according to Age UK.
Southwark is the fifth highest Local Authority in England for older people living in income deprived households, at 41% of over-60’s, according to government data.
These numbers stress the importance of the work Link Age Southwark does in the community.
For 30 years the charity has supported older residents and adults living with dementia by providing support via groups like exercise sessions and creative classes, as well as IT assistance and care advice.
One of Link Age’s main services is ‘befriending’, where 180 volunteers help people who find it difficult to leave their home without support.
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Chief Executive Ceri Sheppard said: “We match the volunteer and the individuals who would like a visitor really carefully according to their interests and what they have told us about themselves.
“They tend to last a long time, people can forge really deep friendships and potentially with people from really different backgrounds.”
She said Link Age’s volunteers across their services range between ages 18 to 90, adding she is proud of the work they are doing and how the Southwark community has come together.
She said: “I find it fascinating that last year, in terms of our new volunteers, nearly half were in their 30’s which says to me that we are really meeting a need there in terms of inter-generational connection.
“We find that local people are incredibly generous with their time and kindness.”
Over-60’s find out about the charity through word of mouth or via friends, family or doctors, who can refer people that are isolated and need support.
Members like former teacher Roger have been involved with Link Age for a longer period of time, and the ‘Warm Spaces’ group on Fridays represents a staple of his week from October through the winter.
He said: “There used to be a mobile phone drop in here for if you had any problems. That’s why I came, and I liked the soup so I kept coming!”
Sarah lives alone and has been part of the group since before the Covid pandemic, after hearing about it through others who had benefitted.
She keeps coming back, tempted not only by the “wonderful” soup prepared by cook Garcia, but for comfort in the colder months.
“I come here because my place isn’t that warm, and some of the people here are really nice,” said Sarah.
“When the wind goes and you’re waiting for a bus for half an hour, I do feel the cold,” she added.
The benefits of the group extend to beyond the older people.
Mrs Dubale has been with the charity for four years, and has lived locally since moving from Ethiopia in 2008.
She helped start the ‘Warm Spaces’ group, and smiled as she remembered getting the weekly meeting up and running.
“On the first day we made the soup and nobody came. Then the next day there were two, then seven, then everybody came,” she said.
The idea started after she heard stories of older people in the area struggling to deal with the cold.
“Sometimes they would go to McDonald’s and sit there all day, some people would go on the bus because their house is too cold.”
Ms Dubale recognises the isolation that winter can bring for many who don’t have immediate family on hand to help, and said these people depend on Link Age.
“Because of the weather they might not go anywhere else. They might not even go out for a walk.
“They can come here during winter and they socialise, play a game and also get warm food.”
Ms Sheppard stressed the importance of the work the charity does during the winter with the cost of living rising.
“I think there is a prevailing narrative at the moment about pensioners being quite well off, and without doubt there are some who are, however we work in some of the most deprived wards in Southwark and we know that there are many older people who are really struggling with their finances.
“People can worry about spending too much on heating with utility bills continuing to rise. That’s a real challenge for some people.”
She said the biggest obstacle they face as an organisation is with funding.
Link Age is supported by a combination of council grants and efforts from their own community fundraisers.
With forecasts from Southwark Council predicting one in six in the borough to be over 65 by 2040, longevity is the priority for Link Age as this could mean more in need of services such as those provided by the charity.
Ms Sheppard said: “We are really managing our costs to make sure we are here for the long term.
“Every charity is finding the charitable trust and foundation landscape really challenging at the moment, a lot have been pausing their grant giving and the others have been completely overwhelmed.”
High on the long-term planning priority list is ensuring there are enough people to help out at sessions like the one at Dulwich Grove Church.
Link Age encourages new people to get involved with the charity, whether it is by volunteering with the organisation or connecting them with local businesses who may be in a position to support.
Among the tea, Scrabble and chatter in the church, it is impossible not to be absorbed by the positive mood, and Mrs Dubale emphasised the value for staff and volunteers, as well as the older people.
She said: “It’s not only them benefiting, we, the next generation, benefit so much because these people have so much wisdom and are so full of history.”
