Legal & General Retail Retirement is supporting the Royal Voluntary Service’s ‘Step Forward’ campaign, aimed at inspiring Britain’s retiring generation to volunteer their time and talents.
A new campaign from Royal Voluntary Service, it seeks to galvanise people approaching retirement, and recent retirees, to help within their local community.
According to research, more than two million people aged over 75 live alone and around 1.9 million older people often feel ignored or invisible. However, 79% of Royal Voluntary Service volunteers said their work with the organisation helped them feel more connected with their community and nine in 10 said volunteering gave them a sense of purpose. More than half even said that volunteering made them feel healthier.
By reaching out to individuals aged 55 and over, Legal & General and Royal Voluntary Service are hoping to support more people to manage the transition from working to retirement.
The campaign partnership activity will focus on the 55+ audience and will recruit new volunteers in the over-55s demographic through advertising, events and social media.
It aims to encourage positive ageing by promoting the benefits of volunteering to pre-retirees and the recently retired and helping them transition from careers into life after work.
Staff at Legal & General are encouraged to volunteer their time to the charity and are entitled to take one full or two half days off each year for charity work. The company also matches funds raised from any volunteering activity outside of working hours. Since 2014, Legal & General has donated £280,000 to the Royal Voluntary Service and, by the end of 2019, over 400 employees at the financial services group will have volunteered a total of 768 hours.
Chris Knight, CEO, Legal & General Retail Retirement, said: “The prospects for today’s retirees are very different to those of previous generations. These days there are more opportunities to have a really varied and active, ‘colourful’ retirement; but for many people transitioning into life after work can still be a daunting prospect. Our sense of self, routine and even our friends are often tied up in our careers and it can be hard for people to adjust. What’s more, loneliness in later life is a serious issue facing older people up and down the country.
“Volunteering is a proven way that people can find fulfilment in their lives. Not only can it help to build bridges with the local community, but it’s a great opportunity to develop social networks too. Research shows that volunteering can even improve health and wellbeing, and we really see this as integral to our aim to help all retirees have the best retirement possible.
“We’re proud at Legal & General to have worked with Royal Voluntary Service since 2014, particularly in support of public services including the NHS. We’re a business which operates from a number of locations across the country, but supporting this fantastic charity is one of the things that brings us all together; something I know from personal experience having volunteered myself.
“I’m delighted that we are working even more closely with the charity to support their ‘Step Forward’ campaign. We believe that by encouraging retirees to volunteer their time and talent, we can help those transitioning from full-time employment to a colourful retirement – one that is active, healthy and positive.”
Fiona Longhurst, director of communications and marketing for Royal Voluntary Service, added: “We are delighted that Legal & General are supporting our volunteer recruitment campaign. Volunteering is good for the recipient, for the community and for the volunteer themselves. With Legal & General supporting our new advertising campaign, we can inspire more people to volunteer, particularly those approaching retirement age.
“The message in the campaign is clear: everyone has something special to offer as a volunteer and Royal Voluntary Service will use your talents to the full. We know that the work of our volunteers is treasured by those they support, but there are just as many advantages for those giving their time – that’s why we want to draw as many people as possible towards us from all walks of life, across all ages and backgrounds.”