No oars? No problem! Just Oarsome raises over £33,000 for Hourglass

What do you do when you’ve planned a day of dragon boat racing, only to discover you can’t actually go on the water?

If you’re the team at Just Group, you organise a sports day instead.

On Saturday 19 September, teams from across Just Group joined Hourglass at Wimbledon Park for the 2026 Just Oarsome fundraiser. The annual event was originally due to take place on the lake, but testing by the council identified issues with water quality.

That was a good call, no one wants to take that sort of risk.

With a quick change of plan, the dragon boats were swapped for eggs and spoons, beanbags, planks and a very competitive tug of war.

What a day it turned out to be.

 

Just Oarsome, without the oars

Eight teams, including five intrepid representatives of Hourglass who travelled from near and far, took part in the Just Oarsome Sports Day.

Our team was made up of Maggie Evans, Director of Frontline Services; Andy Jackson, Frontline Services Officer; Sarah Scott, Frontline Services Officer; Penny Wilby, Community Fundraising Manager; and Pippa Dakin, who joined her sister Penny to complete the team.

Events included the traditional egg and spoon race, tug of war and some slightly less traditional challenges.

There was a race involving balancing a beanbag on your head, a caterpillar race, a ski race which required the whole team to shuffle together with their feet strapped to planks, and a relay involving a baton between your legs. There were also events for children, making it a proper family day.

Were Team Hourglass any good?

Absolutely not.

In fact, we think we may have come last in every single event. We may not have troubled the podium, but we laughed. A lot.

Thankfully, the real success of Just Oarsome wasn't measured in medals.

 

More than £33,000 raised for Hourglass

This year's Just Oarsome raised an incredible £33,254, including Gift Aid, for Hourglass.

It takes the amount raised during Just Group's charity partnership with Hourglass to more than £147,000

Those figures are impressive, but the partnership has always been about more than money.

Over the years, people from across Just Group have thrown themselves into fundraising for Hourglass. They have taken part in organised events such as Just Oarsome, created their own fundraising challenges and helped introduce more people to our work.

Every conversation helps.

It means more people understand that the abuse of older people happens. More people know how to recognise the signs. And, importantly, more people know that Hourglass is here when somebody needs help.

 

Helping us be there when somebody reaches out

Money raised through the partnership helps Hourglass deliver our 24/7 helpline and frontline services, supporting people affected by the abuse, harm, neglect and exploitation of older people.

It also supports our wider work to raise awareness and campaign for a safer ageing society.

 

Richard Robinson, CEO of Hourglass, said:

"Just Group's support for Hourglass has been incredibly important to us. Just Oarsome is always a wonderful event and something our team genuinely loves being part of.

"But behind the fun and laughter is a very serious purpose. The money raised through this partnership helps us be there for people who contact our frontline services because they are worried about the abuse of an older person, or are experiencing abuse themselves.

"Having someone there to listen, offer advice and help them understand what they can do next can be life-changing. We are enormously grateful to everyone at Just Group who has fundraised, donated, taken part in events and supported our work over the course of this partnership."

 

Thank you, Just Group

Our formal charity partnership with Just Group comes to an end at the end of 2026.

We are incredibly grateful for everything Just Group and its people have done for Hourglass. More than £147,000 raised is an extraordinary legacy, but so too are the conversations started, the awareness raised and the people who now understand more about the abuse of older people.

We very much hope this isn't goodbye.

As for Team Hourglass, we may need to get some training in before the next sports day.

Thank you, Just Group, for an Oarsome partnership.

 

If you’re interested in becoming one of Hourglass’ Charity Partners please contact the fundraising team at fundraising@wearehourglass.org