Funding from a 400-year-old charity founded by an Elizabethan benefactor is helping older Londoners facing poverty and hardship live in comfort and dignity.
The Emanuel Hospital charity, managed by the City of London Corporation, has awarded £400,000 to Friends of the Elderly to continue its support for older people across the capital for the next four years.
The funding is used to provide grants to older Londoners in extreme financial difficulty, to cover essential expenses such as buying household appliances, paying unexpected bills or covering food, clothing or energy costs.
The latest grant from Emanuel Hospital follows previous funding of over £345,000 over the last four years, which has provided vital support to 773 older people across London.
Chair of the City Corporation’s Emanuel Hospital Management Sub-Committee Alderman Gregory Jones KC said:
“Although the grants Friends of the Elderly make with our funding may be small, the impact on the lives of older people across London is huge, lasting and transformative.
“Something as simple as having a working washing machine or a carpeted floor, or being able to pay off unexpected bills, reduces stress and worry and enables older people to live happier, healthier lives.”
The Emanuel Hospital charity was founded in 1600 after a bequest by Lady Anne Dacre to set up an almshouse in Westminster to provide homes for 20 older people.
Rachel Hill, Friends of the Elderly’s Chief Executive, said:
“We are absolutely thrilled to have the continued support of the Emanuel Hospital charity, which has made a huge difference to hundreds of older people across London.
“Thanks to this funding, we know that every London pensioner who meets our criteria and comes to us asking for financial assistance, can receive a grant, which is incredible.”
Grants awarded by Friends of the Elderly over the past year through this scheme include:
£400 to buy a dishwasher for an 88-year-old woman from Newham who struggled to wash up because of disabling arthritis in her hands
£1,000 to a 78-year-old woman in Wandsworth to cover funeral expenses for her son, who had died suddenly and unexpectedly
£600 to a bedbound 81-year-old woman from Hammersmith & Fulham who was provided with an iPad which she uses to stay stimulated and to improve her speech via the Stroke Association app
£368 to buy a new bed for a 68-year-old woman in Southwark who was undergoing intensive cancer treatment and had been sleeping on the floor
Older people in need who may benefit from a grant can be referred to Friends in the Elderly by referral agents, such as community centres, housing associations or advice organisations.