The fairy lights are going up, the adverts are full of crowded dinner tables, and for many of us the season brings a busy round of invitations. But a Christmas appeal launched on Saturday 7 November is a timely reminder that not everyone's diary looks like that.
The Royal Voluntary Service, the volunteering charity that began life in 1939 as the Women's Voluntary Services, has teamed up with the Daily Express for a campaign called "Give the Gift of Presence". It aims to raise £200,000 and grow the charity's community clubs from 162 to 250 over the next year.
The numbers behind the appeal
The charity's headline estimate is that around 1.2 million older people have no invitation to share festive food with anyone. It comes from a survey carried out for the Royal Voluntary Service and the Morrisons Foundation last winter, when the research company Censuswide asked 1,000 people aged 70 and over about Christmas in November 2025.
Some of the other findings are just as striking:
- 47% of over-70s had not been invited to a friend's or relative's home on Christmas Day.
- A third of older people who live alone said the festive period makes their loneliness worse, and around one in five were not looking forward to the weeks ahead.
- 11% of those living alone had not shared a festive meal with anyone for five years or more.
Catherine Johnstone, the charity's chief executive, put it simply: "We all have a responsibility to make sure the older generation are not left on the margins of their own communities."
Why this matters to us
At Wise Owl we have been helping people over 50 meet since 2009, and we know that loneliness is nothing to be embarrassed about. Life has a way of changing the size of our circle. A bereavement, a divorce, retirement or a family who now live at the other end of the country can all leave a quieter house than we expected.
Plenty of people join a dating site for company and conversation as much as for romance. Whatever you are hoping for, reaching out is a sign of strength, not of something gone wrong.
Small steps that can widen your circle this winter
Have a look locally. The Royal Voluntary Service runs lunch clubs, community cafés and social clubs, and its website has a "What's available near me?" search where you simply enter your postcode. A warm meal and some friendly faces can make a real difference to a winter week.
Think about volunteering. Charities like this one rely on volunteers, especially at Christmas. Giving a few hours is a lovely way to meet people, and you may find you get as much out of it as the people you are helping.
Open your door, or your diary. If you have a spare seat at your table, think about who in your street or circle might be on their own. Picture it: a neighbour you usually only wave to, invited in for a mince pie and a cup of tea. It costs very little and could mean a great deal.
Pick up the phone. The Silver Line, run by Age UK, is a free, confidential helpline for people aged 55 and over. You can call 0800 4 70 80 90 at any hour, every day of the year, just for a chat.
Give online dating a go. Long winter evenings are a good time to write a profile and start a few conversations. We explain why in our piece on why winter is a great time to date.
Meeting someone new, safely
Sadly, quieter seasons are also when fraudsters try their luck, so it is worth a quick reminder of the basics. Keep your early conversations within the dating site. Be cautious if someone declares strong feelings unusually quickly, avoids video or telephone calls, or keeps finding reasons not to meet. And never send money, buy gift cards or transfer cryptocurrency for someone you have met online, however moving the story.
When you are ready to meet, choose a busy public place, tell a friend or relative where you will be, and arrange your own transport. Our dating safety guide has more simple tips.
The best gift of all
If you are in a position to donate or volunteer, the Royal Voluntary Service website has details of the appeal and of clubs near you. And if you are the one hoping for an invitation this year, please know you are far from alone, and that there are warm, friendly people out there looking for exactly the same thing. Find out more about senior dating with Wise Owl.
Sources
Brit Brief, Army of Kindness: Give the Gift of Presence This Christmas, 7 November 2026. AOL (republishing the Daily Express), Loneliness kills but an Army of Kindness offers hope this Christmas, 7 November 2026. Royal Voluntary Service, All I want for Christmas is food and company (Censuswide survey of 1,000 people aged 70+, 13 to 21 November 2025). Royal Voluntary Service, Social activities. Age UK, The Silver Line Helpline.
© 2026 Wise Owl Dating. You are free to reuse this article, in whole or in part, provided you credit Wise Owl Dating as the source and include a link to www.wiseowldating.co.uk. This permission covers the article text only, not photographs or our logo. The article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence.
About the author: Ernie S writes news, views and lighter pieces for Wise Owl Dating, the UK dating site for the over 50s and part of the Cafe Dating Collection.