The Big Give: How can I help?

We need your help this Christmas! We have a fantastic opportunity to raise up to £40,000 to help us reach out to more older people living in loneliness across the UK.

"It's lovely this. When you get to my age, where do you get to talk like this?"

In the UK today, 1 million older people will go a month without speaking to anyone. We need your help to support older people experiencing loneliness.

We already read with many older people up and down the country, like Betty, but we want to reach out to even more by training and supporting volunteers to run Shared Reading sessions in care homes, community centres or one-to-one in their home.

So, what's this Big Give thing all about then?

The Big Give's Christmas Challenge is the UK's biggest online match funding campaign and this year The Reader has been nominated as one of the lucky charities to take part.

Two of our supporters, Postcode Support Trust and The Pilgrim Trust have pledged up to £20,00o in match funds meaning that for every £1 you donate, they'll double it, meaning we could raise up to £40,000!

But there's a catch....

For a donation to be doubled by our supporters, it must be made online during the Christmas Challenge, a 72 hour window which opens at 12 noon on Tuesday 29 November and closes at 12 noon on Friday 2 December. 

It's going to be tough.... which is why we need your help!

How you can help:

• Spread the word online:

Tell your friends, tweet your followers, show us some love on Instagram and share the news with your colleagues!

• Tell Ten!

Or you can spread the news by good old-fashioned word of mouth - why not start by aiming to Tell Ten - ten friends, family, neighbours or colleagues - and ask them to do the same.

• Make the Christmas Challenge your Christmas Greeting:

'Tis the season to send cards, but why not donate instead? If you choose to give to this good cause instead of sending the traditional Christmas Card why not encourage your friends and family to do the same?

• Donate!

If you can donate, please give what you can when donations open at 12noon on Tuesday 29 November.

Get involved and be part of the story...

For the full details on The Reader's Big Give Christmas Challenge visit our website.