Always on
This project successfully funded on 31st December 2025, you can still support them with a donation.
Christmas Appeal: Memories Matter
Brighton, United Kingdom
Aim
We need your help to raise funds for Gladrags' Christmas Appeal, providing free, festive gatherings for our older community members.
CHRISTMAS APPEAL: MEMORIES MATTER
Bring Joy to an Older Person This Christmas
No one should feel forgotten, especially at Christmas. Yet in Brighton & Hove, nearly 40% of people aged over 65 live with loneliness all or most of the time. In neighbourhoods like Whitehawk, Moulsecoomb and Coldean, among the most deprived 20% in England, poverty can make it even harder for older people to be socially active.
That’s why our Memories Matter Project focuses on these communities, bringing free, joyful reminiscence sessions directly to the places where they’re needed most. Using vintage clothing, memorabilia, and shared storytelling, we help bring cherished memories to life with immersive sessions that encourage a sense of fun and of belonging.
And this Christmas, when the need for togetherness is felt most deeply, we’re bringing extra warmth, with festive reminiscence sessions that lift spirits, ease loneliness, and fill the room with laughter, song, and genuine connection.
Celebrating Lives Through Reminiscence
Every life is a story worth telling, and through the lens of nostalgic styles, music and memorabilia, older people are transported back to their youth and supported in being sociable and connecting with their peers.
At the heart of it all are our dedicated, longstanding volunteers, who take the time to truly listen. By honouring the voices of their elders, they offer companionship, recognition, and a feeling of being truly valued. Together, we’re creating welcoming spaces where memories matter, and no one feels unheard.
£12 ensures a reminiscence session
can be supported by two volunteers
“I love to see the smile it brings to people’s faces. It starts with ‘I remember when...’ and their eyes start twinkling, and they open up. Some haven’t stepped out of their house all week, some have had harsh lives, and being there to reminisce with them about their happier times, well it warms me. I come away feeling I’ve got my own memories from a special moment.” Marilyn Fuller, Volunteer
Memory in a box
Our specially curated reminiscence boxes play a central role in sparking memories and igniting conversation. Filled with era-specific items, vintage clothing, and everyday objects, they invite people to re-live and share treasured moments in their lives. Equally accessible to people living with dementia or Alzheimer's, their sensory nature can unlock long-forgotten memories and give everyone a voice.
£25 provides a reminiscence box of
vintage artefacts to unlock treasured memories
“At our age, you can get really isolated and it’s important to intermingle. The smell, colour, texture of old-time clothing and objects jogs your memory and gets you talking with the others. One memory sparks another; happy days. It’s good for our brains and good for our health. Please come back.”
Val, Robert Lodge 50+ Group
The Joy of Dressing Up
Creative play is a powerful way to support wellbeing at any age. 68% of people recognise the mental health benefits of drama and creative expression (Arts Council), and we see this in action in our sessions, where dressing up in vintage garb invites laughter and shared joy. It’s a playful, inclusive way to connect, sparking memories, stories, and moments of recognition that can reach beyond words.
£60 pays for a reminiscence facilitator to deliver a
memory-sharing afternoon for 25 isolated older people
"I do believe, dressing up, it's being something that you're not, so that just for a moment, you're going to be a soldier, or a sailor, or an acrobat if you want! I see the look on people's faces here; they're all enjoying every minute of it, and that's just what we really need." Len, Chatterboxes, Moulsecoomb
Festive Cheer
At Christmas, when loneliness often deepens, connection and joy matter even more. That’s why we’re going the extra mile with our festive sessions. With time-travel bingo, panto dames, thoughtful gift-giving, and nostalgic sing-alongs, we’ll be creating magical moments where everyone feels remembered, and truly part of something special.
£100 funds a warm community space and refreshments to host three memory-sharing sessions
Give the gift of Companionship and Joy this Christmas and together we can brighten someone’s world.
Every contribution to Memories Matters helps us sustain these essential community gatherings, this Christmas and beyond. With your support, we can continue reducing isolation and bringing memories to life. Because when we gather to share, memories truly do matter.
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made