Other ways to volunteer
There are lots of other ways you can make a difference for older people, from volunteering in an Age UK shop to campaigning. Find out more on the Age UK website.
Share your story
Have you received support from Age UK's Silver Line Helpline? If so, you could make a huge difference by sharing your story.
As a free, confidential telephone service offering conversation and friendship to older people, we want to reach as many people as possible.
We want more older people to hear about our support line so they can call us when they need to.
We also want to tell potential supporters, donors and volunteers how they could help us.
Your story of how The Silver Line has helped you could help us be there for someone else
When we need to explain the impact of The Silver Line Helpline and the support we offer, who better to ask than our callers?
By sharing stories from callers who’ve used the service, we can show the world exactly why The Silver Line is so important and how we need to do everything we can to uplift and support older people in our communities.
How sharing your story helps us
If someone hasn’t had first-hand experience of loneliness and isolation (particularly in older age), they may not appreciate the importance of services like The Silver Line Helpline.
The impact of what we do is not always visible or easy to explain. We rely on people who’ve used our services and are willing to talk about it to explain to others why The Silver Line is so important.
Here are some ways your story might help…
- Your story could encourage people to donate, volunteer, or otherwise support the charity.
- You could help show how each caller has their own unique story and that we support older people from all walks of life.
- You can help encourage more older people to use the service, especially if they may be worried about calling.
By sharing your experience of using The Silver Line, we can put the most important people at the heart of the story: our callers.
What kind of stories help The Silver Line?
Maybe you had a conversation with us that made you feel like someone was finally listening and really cared about what you had to say.
Perhaps you’ve used The Silver Line regularly over the months or years, calling us when you feel like hearing a friendly voice or when family or friends aren’t available to chat.
You might’ve turned to The Silver Line for support with a difficulty you were facing and we were able to help you find the beginnings of a solution.
It doesn’t matter about the length of the call, who you spoke to, whether it was five years ago or last week, or what you were calling for. Every single story helps.
How will your story be used?
If you give us your permission, your story could be shared on our website, in a press article, or as part of a campaign to raise awareness for The Silver Line Helpline. Your story could also be used to raise awareness of Age UK's work more generally, too.
The most important thing to remember is that you are always in charge of when and how your story is used. It's an honour and a privilege to hear people’s personal stories and experiences and we take the responsibility seriously.
We do our utmost to tell your story in as honest and authentic a way as possible. If you ever ask us to stop using your story, we’ll do so immediately.
Support us by sharing your story
Has The Silver Line made a difference in your life? Support our work by sharing your story.
More from Age UK's Silver Line
How we help
Learn about the people who speak to us on The Silver Line, how we help our callers, and what you can expect from the service.
Age UK’s Silver Line Helpline is the UK's only free, confidential, 24-hour helpline providing friendship for older people.