Would you like to help a local charity providing much-needed services for older people? If so, read on! 

Many of you know me as one of the  people behind the highly-successful Zoom “Lockdown Lectures”, together with  Simon (from the Leatherhead & District Local History Society) & Gwen (from the Dorking Local History Group). 

The talks were funded mainly through attendee donations, but we now have raised enough money to continue with them until mid-2021. So rather than asking you for a donation to fund more online history talks,  we’d like to ask you to make a donation to a very important charity instead, i.e. Age Concern Merstham, Redhill and Reigate (ACMRR), instead. 

ACMRR has provided vital services to the local community since 1957. It aims to lift older people from loneliness and social isolation, promote independence and offer advocacy and advice.

It provides a day centre for older people three days per week, referred to as ‘The Club’ by its clients. It offers a wide variety of activities, a traditional hot meal every day it is open, and takeaway food for other days.  ACMRR has  an accessible minibus to transport clients  to and from the centre and provide weekly shopping trips and outings. Apart from dinners and the wide range of activities available at the centre,  clients  come to stay connected with their friends and community.

ACMRR also run a “Men’s Shed” in the garden of the centre for older men who prefer not to attend a traditional day centre, and a Befriending Service for socially isolated older people.

During the Covid-19 crisis, the Day Centre has either been closed  or severely restricted in numbers, but ACMRR have been doing regular outreach work through food deliveries, phone calls, newsletters and more to address the difficulties many elderly people are suffering from during the crisis.

All of this, of course, costs money and ACMRR's income has been seriously reduced by the Covid-19 crisis. Can you help? If everyone who has attended one of the Lockdown Lectures donates £5, we will meet our £1500 target easily 

Despite  "Age Concern" being part of their name, ACMRR is not part of a national organisation and is almost entirely dependent on their own fund-raising efforts.

You can find out more about ACMRR at  https://www.ageconcernmrr.org.uk/ 

and more on the "Lockdown Lectures" at https://www.meetup.com/Surrey-History-Meetup

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.