How can you reduce loneliness for older people?

That was the question Trevor Lyttleton asked himself in 1965. His solution was to bring together young volunteers with elderly people who had fallen off the radar, and get them chatting over a cup of tea.

The monthly tea parties grew and grew. The charity started in London, with a small group of friends in Marylebone. By the time Trevor retired as chair in 2015 it was nationwide: 8000 volunteers were providing vital links to lonely pensioners at 600 tea parties every month.

And with a little help from The National Lottery, it’s now reaching a more diverse community than ever before.

Game Changers host, Aimee Fuller - two-time Olympian, author and broadcaster – meets Trevor to find out how Re-engage has changed people’s lives. On the way she discovers Trevor’s own remarkable career as a Grammy-nominated composer.

We also pay a visit to St James’s Park in London, where an inspiring new artwork is revealed.

Artist Luis Gomez de Teran has been commissioned to paint seven exceptional Community Game Changers - including Trevor. He describes how he was struck by Trevor’s incredible story, and how the Game Changers energized him to produce this uplifting artwork.

Broadcaster and DJ Adele Roberts also joins the Game Changers as their portraits are revealed, in a park which has a strong personal resonance in her own life.

Be inspired. Follow to catch every episode.

Game Changers is brought to you by National Lottery players, who raise £30 million each week for good causes across the UK. For more information about projects that help ordinary people, visit: https://www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk

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How do you create a gym which is accessible to everyone?

Many years ago, Game Changer Javeno McLean sat down in his mum’s kitchen in front of a blank sheet of paper. He sketched out his vision – a gym where the whole community, including the elderly and people with disabilities, could work up a sweat, and get fit.

After an incredible amount of hard work, persistence, and a little help from The National Lottery, Javeno achieved his goal. J7 Health Centre in Manchester uses exercise as a tool to help communities find happiness, and improve quality of life.

Game Changers host, Aimee Fuller - two-time Olympian, author and broadcaster – meets Javeno, to ask how he turned that pencil sketch into a reality, and discovers Javeno’s incredible optimism, empathy and good humour.

And we pay a visit to London, where an inspiring new artwork is being created.

In the serene oasis of St James Park, artist Luis Gomez de Teran has been commissioned to paint seven exceptional Game Changing individuals who have been transforming Communities over the last three decades including Javeno.

Be inspired. Follow to catch every episode.

Game Changers is brought to you by National Lottery players, who raise £30 million each week for good causes across the UK. For more information about projects that help ordinary people, visit: https://www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains a discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know has been affected by suicide or needs to talk to someone, please get in contact with the Samaritans online https://www.samaritans.org/ or call them for free on their 24-hour helpline 116 123.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you inspire people to believe in a sustainable future?

When our Game Changer - Sir Tim Smit – came across a disused clay quarry in Cornwall in the 1990s, he knew he’d found the answer.

Sir Tim is the visionary co-founder of the Eden Project, which transformed sterile soil into a lush green landscape, and turned a forgotten quarry into a global destination for nature, culture and sustainability. The National Lottery was an original funder of the Eden Project, and continues to fund projects there to this day.

Game Changers host, Aimee Fuller - two-time Olympian, author and broadcaster – meets Sir Tim, to find out what it took to create this vision. She asks how he inspires people to believe in a better future, and encounters Sir Tim’s incredible drive and inspiring energy.

And we pay a visit to historic Whitby Abbey, for the unveiling of a breathtaking new artwork.

Sir Tony Robinson joins the Game Changers on the Yorkshire clifftops, to experience the work by David Popa, celebrating these exceptional Game Changing individuals who have been transforming different Heritage communities over the last three decades.

Be inspired. Follow to catch every episode.

Game Changers is brought to you by National Lottery players, who raise £30 million each week for good causes across the UK. For more information about projects that help ordinary people, visit: https://www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.