Our History

1947

Age Concern Epsom & Ewell wasn’t always known by this name. Our organisation began in 1947 as The Old People’s Welfare Committee, operating from a small office in Ashley House with just one volunteer.

1971

In 1971, our name changed to The Association for the Elderly. By then, we had an Executive Committee supported by three office staff, open five mornings a week. To stay connected with older residents, we supported 15 “Over 60” clubs across the Borough. This period also saw the start of our Harvest and Christmas food parcels, through which we distributed 200 parcels to housebound elderly people.

1982

In 1982, as part of a nationwide movement, our name changed once again to Age Concern Epsom & Ewell. During this time, our office grew to four staff, and we opened the Bradbury Centre with two additional staff members. Unfortunately, funding cuts eventually forced the closure of the centre after many successful years.

2009

On 1 April 2009, Age UK took over many Age Concern branches as part of a merger between Age Concern England and Help the Aged. However, our Epsom & Ewell branch did not merge and remains an independent charity, proudly serving our local community.

Today

Today, we have 9 staff members and over 150 volunteers working across the community. We offer a wide range of services for older people and continue to develop new initiatives to meet their needs. Apart from office space generously provided by Epsom & Ewell Borough Council, we receive no statutory funding, relying entirely on donations, fundraising, and business supporters to keep our services running. There are so many people we aim to help – and so much more we hope to achieve.