Please note: this post is 64 months old and The Cares Family is no longer operational. This post is shared for information only
It's eight years ago this week that North London Cares opened amid rioting in London. We had always planned to build a community organisation bringing older and younger neighbours together to reduce loneliness and division, so when the opportunity and need arose to get going spontaneously, in a moment of difficulty for some of our neighbourhoods, we seized the moment.
Eight years on, we're so proud of what this community is achieving, and the role you are playing in Camden and Islington. Over 3,000 older people and over 4,000 younger people are part of the community, sharing time, laughter and new experiences through our Social Clubs, Love Your Neighbour, Outreach and Community Fundraising programmes. You've been part of nearly 2,000 inclusive group activities and some 200,000 interactions across social and generational lines. Every day, somewhere in north London – from Kilburn to Kentish Town, Camden to the Cally – older and younger people join together and feel 'part of something bigger than themselves'.
More than that, North London Cares has also inspired sibling charities – South London Cares, Manchester Cares, Liverpool Cares and the forthcoming East London Cares, which will open this autumn. Together, The Cares Family is now made up of 16,500 people feeling part of a community. Our new evaluation showed the difference you're making in one another's lives – helping one another to feel less lonely, better connected to the world, and bringing a feeling of belonging, even as our world transforms all around us.
So on this, our 8th birthday, everyone at North London Cares wanted to say thank you. Whether you donate, complete challenges, are one of our much loved partners in the community, or you're one of the neighbours involved we couldn't do this without you.
To support North London Cares with a donation of £8 a month on our 8th birthday, click here.