Dear

I hope you're managing to stay cool this week. We're thrilled to share our latest news and stories of how older care home residents and unpaid carers are feeling valued and connected through our projects. So grab an iced drink and take a moment for an uplifting read of our latest highlights:

• Carers share their stories for Carers Week
• Befriendship VE Day celebrations
• Thank you volunteers video 
• Summer postcards for care home residents
• Renewal Church Friends in Care
• Welcoming our new ambassador, Pippa Cramer MBE
• Intergenerational power - spring quiz results

Last but not least, you'll find upcoming events and how you can volunteer to get involved and make a difference to older care home residents and unpaid carers.

Thank you for your part in our journey - our growth would not be possible without our volunteers and supporters like you!

Best wishes 

Sinéad and all the Embracing Age team

June marked Carers’ Week and Loneliness Awareness Week, and a number of our Carers Connected participants have been sharing their stories of how Carers Connected helps them personally.

Carers Connected is connecting Christian unpaid carers from across the country via online Zoom gatherings and combatting isolation. A group rooted in faith, it offers prayer and spiritual encouragement alongside ‘a listening ear’ and the sharing of ideas. 

Here’s a quick look at the real life impact it’s been having:

• Carolyn in Sheffield tells how she values the companionship it brings without needing to leave her husband unattended.
• Caroline in Kent describes the group as her "lifeline" during challenging times caring for her mother.
• Sue in Middlesex explains how she found the group online after a desperate prayer when she cried out to God for a Christian carers’ group.

You can read the full blog with their stories, and ideas for you to help it reach more carers, via the button below.

Earlier this month we celebrated Volunteers' Week, including sending volunteers a special video from our CEO Sinéad, showing just some of the amazing impact our volunteers have. 

Our Hampshire Co-ordinator Zoe has launched Summer Postcards - an initiative to send postcards to care home residents across Hampshire to brighten their summer and perhaps help evoke travel memories. These could be handmade or shop bought postcards, of places you've been or dream of going, and could be of far-flung places or closer to home, with a short message about the place or your favourite summer pastimes.

We welcome all ages from any location to take part to bring joy, connection and wonderful travel memories to the recipients - please visit our website for full details and a list of participating care homes to send your postcard to.

Something very special is beginning at Renewal Church in Solihull. A passionate team of volunteers has come together with a heartfelt mission: to bring friendship, joy, and companionship to residents in local care homes who may feel forgotten or alone.

Sparked by a visit from the charity Embracing Age in early April, twenty members of the church gathered for a time of vision-sharing and prayer, laying the foundation for their new initiative ‘Renewal Friends in Care’. The team will begin their journey in care homes where church members already have loved ones, building on those existing relationships to reach others who might welcome a friendly face and listening ear. Over the next few weeks, volunteers will undergo training with Embracing Age, equipping them to make a genuine difference. They’ll also be reaching out to local care home managers to explore opportunities for partnership.

Watch this space - we can’t wait to share stories of hope and transformation as ‘Renewal Friends in Care’ begins to grow!

Thank you to everyone who bought our All-Age Spring Quiz - we have loved hearing from teams of all ages who took part as families, friends or care home groups, showing the power of collaborating across generations. Together you raised over £150 to help bring more joy and connection to older people living in care homes.

Congratulations to Team "Number 7", a family team spanning 3 generations, who were the winners with a very impressive 87 points out of 100 for rounds 1-7, and an amazing 114 words from the word polygon! 

You can read more about the quiz winners and reveal the answers via the button below.

We are delighted that Pippa Cramer MBE has joined us an ambassador for Embracing Age. Pippa is an Occupational Therapist by background, with a specialism in neurorehabilitation and care of older people. She is Pastoral Care and Seniors Minister at Holy Trinity Church in Claygate, and has been running ‘Connections’, one of the largest church-based groups for seniors in the UK since 2011.

You can read more via the button below about Pippa, her interest in our work, and what she's learned about living a happy and fulfilled life that she didn’t know when she was 20 years old.

Isle of Wight - The Independent Living Show for Older People - 5th July - come along to meet Rebecca and team at her stand, 11am - 3pm at GG's Island Riding Centre, Staplers Rd, Newport, PO30 2NB. Do encourage your family and friends to come along too - she'd love to chat to you there!

Are you thinking about starting something new this Summer?

There are so many ways you can have fun getting involved with us and make a big difference in the lives of older people at the same time. Many of these roles can be done from wherever you are in the country and offer a range of time requirements to fit around how much (or little!) time you can offer:

• Could you spare 1 hour a week to visit care home residents in Richmond, West Sussex, Hampshire or the Isle of Wight? We urgently need adult volunteers to meet referrals for residents in these areas.
• Could you help build links between schools or community groups and their local care home? 
• Do you enjoy community fundraising? 
• Could you host Carers Connected Zoom sessions? 
• Could you use your craft skills to knit or crochet items for residents, or to make handmade cards?
• Could you get out and about to help deliver cards to a care home near you?
• Are you good with IT systems, especially websites and CRM systems, and could offer some back office volunteer support? 

You can find full details of these and many more opportunities via the button below.

*Names may have been changed for anonymity

You can enjoy more photos and stories of what Embracing Age is up to via our website and social media icons below

Thank you for your support, we're really grateful that you're part of our vision.

Sinéad and all the team at Embracing Age