Inspired 500 mile cycle ride to combat loneliness

The Inspired 500 mile cycle ride to combat loneliness

A core team of colleagues from Inspired Villages will be cycling a challenging 500 miles between each of our six retirement villages on 6-10 September to raise money to combat loneliness among older people.

We are doing this to raise money for Inspired Friendships, our scheme that works in the local community around Kent to stop older people from feeling isolated.  Inspired Friendships facilitates events for older people, such as coffee mornings, lunch time meet-ups, bus trips, and walks in the park. Where Covid-19 and safety precautions prevented these community events from taking place, the members were still supported throughout the pandemic with telephone befriending and a pen pal service. 

Inspired Friendships’ work is incredibly vital and transforms lives. Research shows that there are 1.4m chronically lonely older in the England and that it can have a hugely negative impact on people’s physical and mental health, for example, people with a high degree of loneliness are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s.  

Inspired Friendships Manager Wendy Pfeiffer says: 

“This important service could not be more needed than it is today, for we live in a world of amazing technology where it is all too easy to lose sight of the comfort gained from simple human contact.

“So often a smile, a touch or a friendly word is sometimes all that is needed. Our service gives people the chance to become part of something very special and give them something to look forward to each week. Every single member genuinely matters to us and whoever we are, whatever we do in life, don’t we all want to matter to someone?”

Please join us in supporting this great cause and help make a difference to more lives by making a donation. No matter how big or small, every little helps.