A team of keen runners from Re-engage are limbering up for the famous Alton Towers 10k on Saturday 14 November, in a fantastic fundraising feat for older people facing loneliness.

Re-engage Engagement Officer for Yorkshire, Deb Meynell, is a familiar face across Calderdale and beyond. Since joining Re-engage, the former prison officer has set up nine activity groups for more than 100 older people. She also helped create a social group for south east Asian women in Oldham. On her days off, Deb’s a standby host for the Oldham tea party group and leads a ‘movement to music’ session in Cragg Vale. She was Manchester schoolgirl javelin champion at 16, so Deb is very used to a sporting challenge. Deb said: “It means so much to me to help the older people. I love going to the activity groups to see how much they enjoy getting involved. It’s an absolute delight and it’s also a privilege to watch our volunteers develop. It reminds me why I’m doing this job.”

Joining Deb will be Helen Shortall, Re-engage Engagement Team Manager for the North. Helen is a trained counsellor, and she’s been taking part in her local Parkrun to prepare for race day. Helen explained: “I’m incredibly proud and motivated to be doing my job. The stories we hear at Re-engage about the older people we help never fail to move me.”

Limbering up as well is Tom Oakes, Re-engage Head of Growth. He said: “I’m so proud of the team taking part in this brilliant challenge. Every penny raised through this challenge will help us reach older people who are feeling lonely. One of the real privileges of working at Re-engage is seeing first-hand just how much difference human connection can make to someone’s life. There are so many older people out there who could benefit from what we do, and we want to make sure we reach as many of them as possible.”

Also running and raising funds are Ali Winter from our Corporate Partnerships team and 11 colleagues from our partner Aptia.

Can you help get the team over the line?

The Re-engage team has raised £535 so far towards their £1,000 target. Every pound raised helps keep our services for older people running. That means finding older people who need us, recruiting, training and supporting volunteers, and setting up and running the groups and phone calls that bring people together.

Here’s what your gift could do:

• £16 could allow an isolated older person to speak regularly on the phone with a friendly volunteer, breaking up their lonely week
• £25 could help a lonely older person join a monthly tea party, so they can enjoy the company of others
• £55 could support an older person to attend a gentle exercise group every month, helping them stay active and independent for longer

If you’d like to support the team, please donate or share their page with friends and family.