Churchill Retirement Living has been working closely with Dame Esther Rantzen DBE since she was announced as our Brand Ambassador.
The well known charity campaigner and broadcaster has been working with us to help combat loneliness in older people.
At Churchill, we believe that loneliness is a key issue for older people and we are working hard to try and stop this from becoming an epidemic. With the help of Dame Esther Rantzen, we have put together a programme of events that have been carefully selected to help older people interact with others and give them the opportunity to leave loneliness behind for good.
Connecting the older generation
Our Pen Pal programme was set up earlier this year and, with Esther's support, we have managed to connect Owners in various different developments across the UK. The Silver Line offers a similar programme, whereby older people can call and speak to someone or indeed write to them if they prefer.
These options allow older people to remain anonymous if they wish, but it gives them a valuable line of support when they feel like they have nobody to talk to.
Working with our Owners
Dame Esther Rantzen has also been working with Owners in some of our developments. She has attended some of our Official Openings with the honoured job of cutting the ribbon, as well as talking to our Owners about what they really love about life in our developments.
Our retirement developments have been carefully designed to offer more than just a place to live; they offer a whole retirement lifestyle!
"I believe wholeheartedly in keeping your mind active as long as you can, by finding company that you enjoy, sharing time with people you like and doing things that you find engaging. Working in a team also gives you companionship, so the Owners’ Lounges and the social events like the coffee mornings seem to be a great idea."
Dame Esther Rantzen, DBE
Combatting loneliness
Churchill has been working hard to combat loneliness in a variety of different ways and we are committed to making our Owners feel happy, safe and secure in their retirement. Our work with Dame Esther Rantzen has been part of a close partnership that many of our Owners have been personally involved in.
Chairman and CEO, Spencer McCarthy said: “Our Owners and customers are at the heart of everything we do at Churchill, which is why it is crucial to work with the right ambassador.
"We’ve been lucky enough to work with Dame Esther before. As she is so well respected for her broadcast career and charity work, it seemed like a natural thing to do when we asked her to come on board. We are enjoying working with Esther and building our relationship with her to help older people leave loneliness behind."
For more information on Dame Esther Rantzen's work with Churchill Retirement Living, please call 01425 462104.
