Welcome to the first Re-engage Matters of 2025. We hope you had a wonderful time over the festive period and are looking forward to a fun and fruitful year ahead. As always, we can’t wait to hear more stories of your volunteering experiences, and we’re always here if you need any support.

This year, everyone in the Service Delivery team is excited to explore new ways to support you in your roles. We know just how much kindness and tenacity you bring to volunteering, and in turn, we want to make sure we’re providing you with the right training, resources and opportunities to help you flourish.

I’d like to say a special welcome also to all our new volunteers, many of whom discovered us through Good Morning Britain’s 1 Million Minutes campaign. Whether it’s your new year’s resolution to give something back, or you felt inspired to do something to alleviate the loneliness of others, we’re so glad to have you on board!

As always, if you'd like to get in touch to share your experiences, please email us at knowledge@reengage.org.uk

With very best wishes,

Emily Mangroves

head of service delivery and volunteering

Flying high with Bluebird Care

We’re delighted to announce a brand-new activity group with Bluebird Care in Bromsgrove and Redditch, following a successful December event with plenty of food, an incredible singer, games and quizzes. If you know of a venue or organisation who would like to talk to us about hosting activities for older people, please email knowledge@reengage.org.uk

Accidents, incidents, and near misses

While keeping volunteers and older people safe at our activities is a priority, we know sometimes accidents happen. The most important thing is you let us know, so we can speak to everyone involved, give support and take steps to avoid similar things happening in the future. You can report accidents, incidents and near misses using the form below.

Your training refresher

As a volunteer, from time to time, you may handle other people’s data. It’s important that we keep data protection front of mind when handling other people’s information, to keep ourselves and them safe. Revisit our core module on the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for a refresh.

Vote for Peter!

There are just a few more days to go to vote for our film, Friendship: The Perfect Present for Peter, in the prestigious Smiley Charity Film Awards! To move to the next round, we need YOUR votes. Voting is free, quick, and easy! Please look out for our social posts to share, and why not ask your family and friends to vote too?

1 Million Minutes

We’d like to say a very warm welcome to every new volunteer who signed up in December, either as part of our 1 Million Minutes campaign with Good Morning Britain or via another route – thanks a million for joining us!

Thank you

We ask tea party guests, activity group participants and call companion connections what Re-engage means to them. Each month, we share some feedback so you can see the impact your time, energy, and generosity have on older people’s lives all year round.