A CHARITY dedicated to tackling loneliness and isolation among the elderly is urgently appealing for volunteers in the Redditch and Bromsgrove areas.
‘Contact the Elderly’ is asking people to spare a few hours each month to help organise monthly Sunday afternoon tea parties for small groups of people, aged 75 and over, in their local community.
Each older guest is collected from their home by a volunteer driver, and is taken to a volunteer host’s home, where they join a small group for tea, chat and companionship.
The aim is to provide a regular and vital friendship link every month.
The charity’s West Midlands development officer Kath Davies said: “We know there are many older people who find it difficult to leave the house, have no friends or family nearby and can go for long periods of time without talking to anyone.
“We currently have five groups in the Redditch and Bromsgrove area with guests on a waiting list for a space in a group.”
The charity is looking for help in three key areas: Co-ordinators to help organise the monthly tea parties, hosts to welcome a group into their home for a tea party once or twice a year, and drivers with a car who can collect older guests and take them to the parties.
Contact the Elderly was set up in 1965 and now there are more than 800 groups across the country, however of late it has been suffering from a lack of awareness and fewer volunteers coming forward.
“The groups require quite a few volunteers to keep them running but it is not a big time commitment for each individual volunteer,” said Kath.
“In the Redditch & Bromsgrove area there are five groups and enough guests waiting to start another group – but unfortunately at the moment we are short of volunteers to start this group.”
To ffer your help ring Alan Wodzynski on 07956 301299 or email [email protected]
