Age Connects expands community volunteer programme thanks to legacy donation

£65k legacy enabled local charity to double its volunteer scheme

Local charity Age Connects Cardiff and the Vale has used a £65,000 legacy donation to expand its vital Community Support Project taking its number of volunteers from 286 to 562.

The single donation was left to Age Connects in the Will of a former client who the charity supported through its Home First Service and Community Volunteer Support in the last years of her life. The generous bequest is now being used to directly fund its Community Support Project after previous funding was lost and the programme was in danger of cancellation.

The donation has supported the project for the last two years, allowing volunteers to provide elderly residents of the community with friendship and practical help, giving them extra support to help stay independent. The additional funds proved vital during the height of the pandemic allowing Age Connects to more than double the number of volunteers it had in 2020 to 562. The funding has now enabled the charity to sustain a volunteer workforce of 276 across Cardiff and the Vale.

Legacy donations are crucial for UK charities, worth £3 billion a year and estimated to reach £5 billion by 2030*. Despite many gifts in Wills being left to larger national charities, smaller local charities are seeing an increase in recent years and the effects can be seen in the community.

Age Connects recently received a legacy donation of £1,000 from a client who regularly visited their Ageing Well Café in Barry. The money will be reinvested into the facility to ensure the service continues to provide a safe, social space for vulnerable people in the area.

Jeff Hawkins, Chief Executive Officer of Age Connects Cardiff & the Vale, said: “Legacy donations are incredibly important to all charities, but especially to local charities like us who receive them less often. They are a real source of support and no matter how big or small, they matter just as much. We’re always incredibly grateful.

“Our Community Support Project supports those that don’t have family or friends nearby and who need a little help with day-to-day activities, or encouraging to join clubs and socialise, or who sometimes just need a friendly face to talk to. The funding from this one legacy alone has enabled us to sustain our Community Support Programme throughout the very challenging times of the pandemic and continue to fund volunteers today.

"Vulnerable older people will always need our assistance, and we will always require donations and support from the public to continue providing our services, so donations of all kind really do make a difference.”

To find out more about Age Connect’s Community Support Project, how you can leave a legacy in your Will or to become a volunteer, visit www.ageconnectscardiff.org.uk.

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Media enquiries:

Natalie Thomas, Effective Communication, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 02920 838 310

Karen Fletcher, Age Connects Cardiff and the Vale, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 02920 683 604 / 07584 346 015

Notes to editor:

*Legacy Foresight has released its new Legacy Market Briefing 2021 following the latest benchmarking and analysis of legacy giving in the UK via its Legacy Monitor Consortium. Date found here:
Age Connects Cardiff and the Vale is the operating title of Age Concern Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan.
It is an independent local charity that has been providing services for older people since 1974.
Its primary goal is reaching out to older people in the region, many of whom live alone, are physically frail and live below the poverty line.
For further information, visit www.ageconnectscardiff.org.uk