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6/11/2025 0 Comments "Everyone should have a Sally in their life" - Mary and Sally's befriendship story A care home on the Isle of Wight recently shared this beautiful story of the life-changing impact on one of their residents thanks to our volunteer befriender:
"Mary had been living with her son and daughter in law, but after a time it became clear that she needed more care and she moved to our care home. After Mary moved here, her son became very ill and passed away, and her other sons live on the mainland and are not able to visit. Mary was spending more and more time in her room and did not want to engage with the other residents so we felt she was become increasingly isolated. When Sally started visiting, the change in Mary was amazing. If you happened to go upstairs when Sally was here you would hear shrieks of laughter coming from Mary's room and they would chat away for ages. It has been lovely to see their friendship develop and it has made a huge difference to the quality of Mary’s life. I think everyone should have a Sally in their life. Embracing Age has been so supportive to our care home. The majority of our residents have dementia and the wonderful craft ladies have made little creatures to hang on walking frames so that we can easily identify whose is whose. They also made some lovely little bags to pop over the handles so that our residents can put tissues, spectacles and bits and bobs in. Sadly we do have residents that for whatever reason have no visits or little contact with their families and the cards of kindness have been a lovely treat to have. All in all, Embracing Age has been wonderful and special thanks to Rebecca for her continued support and understanding." Get involved and follow our work We are always in need of volunteers to meet the demand of referrals from care homes for befriending, regular cards and our other initiatives. Our volunteers receive full training and support, and there are a wide range of ways you can make a difference with whatever time or skills you can offer. Please use the button below to see full details of all our volunteer opportunities.
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It's certainly been a summer of unpredictable weather and perhaps you have had plans cancelled or changed due to sudden stormy conditions? The marvellous community behind Embracing Age Isle of Wight did not let heavy rain dampen their spirits at their recent Vintage Afternoon Tea Garden Party fundraiser, pushing on to enjoy a wonderful afternoon and raising over £3,000! Incredible! The money raised will help bring companionship and joy to more care home residents without family and friends or those that are particularly isolated.  Isle of Wight Co-ordinator Rebecca Savage spoke about the work and impact of Embracing Age Rebecca Savage, Isle of Wight Co-ordinator, fills us in on this very special event: The event was held in the beautiful garden of our Island Champion for Embracing Age, Barbara Sargent, and her husband, Alan. Set overlooking the countryside with sheep in the fields and the most beautiful pond adorned with ducks and moorhens who were certainly enjoying the weather more than we were. But despite not being able to enjoy the garden in its full glory, a good time was had by all. Each person was served an afternoon tea on vintage china including sandwiches, three small cakes, a scone with clotted cream and strawberry jam, and a pot of tea to share. Additionally, Pimms and prosecco were available for a donation from the camper van served by volunteers Steve and Snoopy Dog. All-time favourite songs from the 1940s onwards were sung by our fabulous solo artist, Alan Wood (who unfortunately did not play a full set due to the rain), and mime artist Ivan Rendell also entertained the guests. Luckily a few hats resisted the wind to stay in place long enough for the Best Hat Competition, which was judged by our Ambassador, Lady Sally Grylls. This was followed by our Auction led by our fantastic auctioneer, Andrew, and the raffle with lovely prizes generously donated. One of the guests commented, "What a lovely happy party!" and a volunteer helper said afterwards, "I really enjoyed it, what a wonderful event. I'm usually in the kitchen but I really enjoyed waitressing." It's always risky thanking people by name for fear of accidentally missing anyone! However, here are a few people we would particularly like to mention:
You can find out more about Embracing Age Isle of Wight here. We have lots of different ways to get involved as an individual or an organisation and for a range of time and skills, and we would love to welcome you into the team to bring joy and companionship to more isolated care home residents across the island.
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