Lidl Northern Ireland teams up with Age NI for new charity partnership

Lidl Northern Ireland today announced a new charity partnership with Age NI, the leading charity for older people in Northern Ireland, with a pledge to raise £500,000 in funds for the charity over the next three years.

Through the new charity partnership, which is being supported by renowned boxer Carl Frampton MBE, Lidl Northern Ireland aims to address challenges facing the older population, promote Age NI’s services and make a meaningful difference to older people across the region.

According to Age NI, loneliness, access to health, transport and other support services, the rising cost of living and keeping safe from scams are amongst the most pressing challenges facing older people across the region.

Throughout its partnership with the charity, Lidl Northern Ireland will work to amplify and address the challenges faced by older people in Northern Ireland whilst delivering a range of community-based initiatives and fundraising to support Age NI’s mission to make Northern Ireland a better place for older people to live.

Following a successful seven-year partnership with NSPCC Northern Ireland, which completed earlier this year and raised a record £1 million for the charity, Lidl Northern Ireland’s new partnership with Age NI aims to target support for older generations, reinforcing its commitment as a leading age-inclusive retailer.

Ivan Ryan, Regional Managing Director of Lidl Northern Ireland said:

“We’re proud to join forces with Age NI for the next three years to raise vital funds, build awareness and support Age NI’s goal of creating a more inclusive society. As a growing retailer with significant reach across the region through our network of 42 stores and more than half a million weekly customers, Lidl Northern Ireland is in a unique position to support older people, raise awareness of the issues they face, and make a tangible difference in our local communities. Our partnership with Age NI is an important step in evolving our age-inclusive offering and wider support for families. We’re excited to see the impact we can make together.”

Linda Robinson, Chief Executive Officer of Age NI said:

“Older people across Northern Ireland are facing many challenges - from rising living costs to loneliness, poor access to services and ageist attitudes - and Age NI is here to help. We’re thrilled to partner with Lidl Northern Ireland which is at the heart of so many communities and to tap into those communities and extend our reach and support

It’s great to partner with a company with shared values and Lidl Northern Ireland has already demonstrated its leadership in terms of support for older workers, families and communities.  Having Carl Frampton in our corner to support this new partnership launch provides an extra layer of excitement and relatability to the cause. His genuine connection with older people and enthusiasm for the partnership will help us engage more widely with the public. We look forward to the next three years of collaboration and to seeing the positive impact this partnership will have on older people across Northern Ireland.”

Weighing in on the new partnership announcement, Carl Frampton MBE said:

“Teaming up with Lidl Northern Ireland and Age NI is about more than raising awareness – it’s a call to action for the public and organisations to rethink how society values and supports older people. Having previously worked with Age NI, I’m proud to put my weight behind this new charity partnership and to encourage people across Northern Ireland to broaden their perceptions of ageing and celebrate the invaluable contributions that older individuals make to our society”.

I’ve always immensely valued the role my grandparents and parents have played in my life, and the importance of family and multigenerational connections. By backing this launch, I hope to shine a light on the challenges older people face, have a bit of fun along the way and remind everyone how vital older people are to our communities.”

Age NI provides a wide range of services to care for, empower and support older people, including a dedicated freephone advice line which provides information and advice on a range of issues such as benefits, care, housing and health.

For more information, visit lidl-ni.co.uk or follow Lidl Northern Ireland @lidlni.

For more information on Age NI’s services visit ageuk.org.uk/northern-ireland

--ENDS--

For more information, contact:

Nikki McKeown, Associate, Lanyon Group

T :  +44 (0) 28 9018 3242

M :  +44 (0) 75 9956 8814

E: lidl@lanyongroup.com

nikki.mckeown@lanyongroup.com

Notes to Editors

The launch of Lidl Northern Ireland’s new charity partnership with Age NI follows the completion of a successful seven-year charity partnership between Lidl Northern Ireland and NSPCC Northern Ireland which ended in May this year and raised £1 million in funds for the charity.

The groundbreaking collaboration has helped to make a significant difference to the lives of countless children through a range of activities and initiatives driven by Lidl Northern Ireland employees and valued customers including supporting the running of NSPCC NI’s Belfast and Foyle Childline bases and rollout of the charity’s flagship Speak Out Stay Safe Schools programme delivered to 189 schools across the region, reaching over 45,000 local children.