Travers Smith LLP is delighted to announce that Contact the Elderly will be the firm's major charity partner for 2018 – 2020.
Half a million older people in the UK say they go five or six days a week without seeing or speaking to anyone. Contact the Elderly has been working for over 50 years to tackle loneliness and isolation amongst the oldest old people. They work with people who are mostly in their 80s and 90s, who live alone, and whose diminished mobility makes it impossible for them to maintain regular social contact. Their groups meet on Sundays, when many other services aren’t available. Friendships are formed and older people and volunteers alike look forward to the next time they will meet.
Over the next two years the firm will be working closely with Contact the Elderly to support them in achieving their strategic priorities. As well as fundraising, the firm will also be providing pro bono legal support on a number of matters.
Travers Smith's CSR Partner Donald Lowe said: "We are delighted to be working with Contact the Elderly. We are looking forward to supporting them with their objective of tackling loneliness and social isolation amongst older people and will be looking at ways that we can introduce them to some of our existing charity partners to help them achieve this. Our new charity partner is chosen by a firm-wide vote and this year's winning charity once again, reflects a cause close to many people's hearts."
Contact the Elderly's CEO, Meryl Davies said: "Travers Smith share Contact the Elderly’s vision for a world where kindness and connections replace loneliness and isolation. We are delighted to be working with the firm and looking forward to a dynamic partnership which will make a huge difference to older people who have been cut off by loss and loneliness.”
Over the past two years Travers Smith has been working with Single Homeless Project (SHP), a London-based charity that works to prevent homelessness and help vulnerable and socially excluded people to transform their lives. The firm's fundraising work has enabled SHP to create a new post dedicated to helping the charity's clients take the final step towards independent living. Funding the post has helped the charity to support 80 more people to gain lasting independence.