The money raised by Yorkshire Building Society throughout the partnership will help Age UK launch a new programme called ‘Building Better Lives’, which will provide one-to-one support to help prevent more than 4,700 older people most in need from reaching financial crisis point.
The programme also hopes to allow both organisations to build better financial resilience in older people across the UK.
The Building Better Lives programme will be delivered in communities by local Age UKs across the UK and harness the expertise, experience and reach of both organisations and intends to make a life-changing difference to some of the most vulnerable older people around the country.
Currently 1.9 million older people in the UK are living in poverty and 40% of older people anticipate their quality of life to be poor or very poor in the next six months.
Mike Regnier, chief executive of Yorkshire Building Society, said: “Now more than ever, older people need a trusted place they can turn to for advice and support.
“The outbreak of coronavirus has intensified what was already a dire situation for thousands of vulnerable older people.
“This is why we are proud to have chosen Age UK as our next charity partner, and we are excited to work together to help ensure that all older people have someone to turn to in times of crisis.
“Both our organisations will be working to strengthen the financial resilience of older people, as some later life situations can lead to financial difficulties and we will be extending support to help older people facing these challenges.”
Steph Harland, chief executive of Age UK, added: “We are delighted to be chosen as Yorkshire Building Society’s new charity partner.
“The current pandemic is a period of great anxiety and uncertainty for everyone, but especially for older people.
“Age UK exists to be there for older people when they need us the most, and that time is now.
“Through our network of local Age UKs, Yorkshire Building Society’s support will enable us to help almost 5,000 older people to be more financially resilient today and look to the future with hope.
“We cannot thank Yorkshire Building Society enough for choosing to support older people at this time.”
