27th Jan 2012

In 2010, 83 year old Dorothy took part in the Sainsbury's Sport Relief Mile. She was determined to go the distance and fundraise having been on the receiving end of Sport Relief's crucial support.

Across the UK right now, there are millions of older people who live alone. In fact, it’s estimated that more than half of all people aged 75 and over are living by themselves and approximately one in 10 of them admit feeling intensely lonely.

That’s why Sport Relief cash has been supporting projects all over the country that reach out to isolated older people.  It’s giving them the opportunity to get out of the house and socialise, and is enabling them to participate in sporting activities that improve their mobility.  

And one woman who has benefited from this work is 83 year-old Dorothy from Nottingham who has been living alone since her husband sadly passed away.

“I have two cockatiels and a cat for company, but it gets a bit lonely sometimes,” confesses Dorothy. “I can get depressed sometimes, you know, crying and I snap at my daughter. I tell myself to pull myself together. I don’t know why I get depressed – it’s not all the time, just sometimes. It comes and goes.”

Although Dorothy’s daughter and grandson visit when they can, Dorothy still feels isolated and struggles to cope with the emotional consequences of spending so much time alone.

Thankfully though, help is at hand in the form of the Extra Time project which provides all kinds of social activities for older people in Nottingham.  By going to the project, Dorothy gets to socialise with lots of other people while she takes part in quizzes, tea dances and gentle exercise classes.  It stops her from feeling so alone, keeps her mind active and has physical benefits too – so it helps her well being all-round.
 
“I feel it’s helped me coming here and it’s fun!” says Dorothy. “It makes me feel a bit better if I am down in the dumps. Without it I would feel more depressed. I would have nothing to do. I don’t feel depressed here – I feel happy. I love being with people and having people to talk to. I’ve made more friends and I look forward to it.”

Incredibly, in 2010, Dorothy even completed the Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Mile along with members of the Nottingham Forest Football Foundation and raised £300.

If Dorothy can do it, so can you!  Help to raise much-needed cash to support people living unimaginably tough lives across the UK and the world’s poorest countries by getting sponsored to do the Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Mile.
 

Enter the Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Mile right here.