This December, Link Age Southwark joined forces with the Big Give to raise £10,750 in one week and unlocked a matched funding of £21,500, helping us provide vital support to older people in Southwark.

According to Age UK, nearly half of people aged 65 and over said their pet or television is their main form of company. This is echoed by Velma, a member of Link Age Southwark’s Wellbeing Wednesday group, who says that many people in her generation pass the time watching TV, with little conversation or meaningful connection. Velma and fellow attendee, Adassa, stress the importance of talking, how it keeps the mind sharp - and how, sometimes, you can go a whole day without speaking and not even realise.

Link Age Southwark is a small, independent, local charity, that creates welcoming and stimulating environments through groups and social events, all of which are free of charge.

Wellbeing Wednesday is one such group, primarily for people living with dementia. Activities vary: sketching, painting, collaging – and at this time of year, creating festive decorations and gifts. The group is bustling, with each participant engrossed in their work or in conversation.

At the end of the session, the group is led through a fusion of dance and exercise, combining gentle movement and memory games. Song requests vary, from Abba’s “Dancing Queen” to 1932’s “Underneath the Arches” by Flanagan and Allen. The latter is a favourite of Mica, 91, who was born in Hungary and came to the UK as a young woman in the 1950’s after fleeing the Uprising with her then-boyfriend. They married, started a family and settled in Hull where she ran her own dressmaking business. After her husband’s death, she came to London to be near her daughter, but like many who experience bereavement or move somewhere new, she felt lonely as she aged, craving the company of people her own age and an outlet for her creativity.

She discovered our Wellbeing Wednesday group which takes place near her home. As a naturally inquisitive person who derives great pleasure from crafts and being around others, she joined the group and attends every week. About the sessions she says, ‘I love it, it’s calming.’ Mica displays the treasures she’s made at the group proudly in her home, showing them to her daughter, Bibi, who tells us, “Her times spent with the Link Age Southwark community group have been invaluable, keeping her spirits up and her brain ticking over. Apart from family, they are her most treasured and uplifting moments.”

Mica’s story is one of many - with over 800 people supported by Link Age Southwark in the last 12 months.