On Monday 9th December a few members of staff from Abigroup, on behalf of their Abilive-in department, spent the majority of the day at the Andover branch of Tesco, on River Way, as part of their ‘Fill a Stocking for a Senior’ event.
Abigroup provides home care (Abicare) and live-in care (Abilive-in) to clients in their own home to help them achieve better independence. Abigroup started over 10 years ago in Salisbury, and due to their expanding client base they now deliver home care and live-in care throughout the whole of the South West of England and Wales.
Last year Abilive-in held their first ‘Fill a Stocking for a Senior’ event at Wilton Garden Centre, Wilton- It was such a great success (they received, wrapped up and delivered over 150 presents) that they held four ‘Fill a Stocking for a Senior’ events throughout the first week of December in Reading, Bournemouth, Wilton and Andover.
Christmas can be a lonely time for many vulnerable people, with almost a million older people feeling lonelier at Christmas, many of whom have been widowed- which is why Abilive-in wanted to make a real difference and help fill a stocking for a senior. They have been overwhelmed by the amount of gifts and cash donations they have received and are grateful to the children and staff of Chafyn Grove School who will be wrapping up all the gifts, ready to be given out to lonely seniors in the local community.
“The people of Andover were very generous in their support and gift donations. They took the time to talk to us to find out more about the event and Abilive-in. This was our final ‘Fill a Stocking for a Senior’ event for this year and we are overwhelmed by the generosity of the people of Reading, Bournemouth, Wilton and Andover. This year we have received well over 150 donated gifts and a number of cash donations (so that we can buy even more gifts!) Based on the success of this year, we look to replicate it next year, AND hold even more events throughout December 2020!” – Donna Provan- Business Growth & Development Manager
The Abilive-in department plan on holding a number of events in 2020, including memory cafes and family workshops, as well as carrying on their tradition of hosting tea parties for seniors.
To find out more about Abigroup you can follow their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Abicare