Loneliness
We know that loneliness is a problem for some people. If you know of anyone who might be in that situation, there are two alternatives available:
One is to ring the national Silver Line 0800 4 70 80 90
One is to ring the national Silver Line 0800 4 70 80 90
URGENT CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS TO SUPPORT OLDER PEOPLE
A charity is urgently appealing for new volunteers to help isolated older people living alone in Salisbury.
Contact the Elderly, a UK charity dedicated to tackling loneliness and isolation among older people, has been providing monthly social gatherings for people aged 75 and over in Salisbury for more than a year.
It has two active groups welcoming 13 guests every month. Through the groups, strong bonds have been formed and friendships made – and 95% of the older guests that the charity helps say they now have something to look forward to.
The Salisbury groups meet one Sunday a month, when most other services for older people are not available but the charity needs more volunteers to collect and accompany the older guests to their event once a month and to host the gatherings in their own home once or twice a year.
Diane Makepeace, the volunteer group coordinator responsible for organising the monthly gatherings in Salisbury, encouraged others to get involved. She said “The level of appreciation by the guests makes it all worthwhile and I have the pleasure of working with wonderful, committed volunteers who make it all possible. It is great fun. We always have room for more guests and volunteers so if you’d like to get involved, please get in touch with the charity.”
Judy Raggett (86), a guest at one of the Salisbury groups, said: “It’s the combination of people and food – a lovely idea when you live on your own. It gets you out to meet people we wouldn’t meet otherwise. You get dressed up and look forward to it. Diane has made a huge difference to us all.”
Contact the Elderly would love to hear from anyone who can help out. Drivers will need to have a valid driving licence and their own car and would need to be available one Sunday a month. Hosts generally host an event once or twice a year.
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer for Contact the Elderly, or if you know someone aged 75 and over who is living alone in the Salisbury area who could benefit from coming along to a tea party, get in touch with the charity by calling 0800 716 543 (freephone) or clicking here to email Hayley Stokes
Contact the Elderly, a UK charity dedicated to tackling loneliness and isolation among older people, has been providing monthly social gatherings for people aged 75 and over in Salisbury for more than a year.
It has two active groups welcoming 13 guests every month. Through the groups, strong bonds have been formed and friendships made – and 95% of the older guests that the charity helps say they now have something to look forward to.
The Salisbury groups meet one Sunday a month, when most other services for older people are not available but the charity needs more volunteers to collect and accompany the older guests to their event once a month and to host the gatherings in their own home once or twice a year.
Diane Makepeace, the volunteer group coordinator responsible for organising the monthly gatherings in Salisbury, encouraged others to get involved. She said “The level of appreciation by the guests makes it all worthwhile and I have the pleasure of working with wonderful, committed volunteers who make it all possible. It is great fun. We always have room for more guests and volunteers so if you’d like to get involved, please get in touch with the charity.”
Judy Raggett (86), a guest at one of the Salisbury groups, said: “It’s the combination of people and food – a lovely idea when you live on your own. It gets you out to meet people we wouldn’t meet otherwise. You get dressed up and look forward to it. Diane has made a huge difference to us all.”
Contact the Elderly would love to hear from anyone who can help out. Drivers will need to have a valid driving licence and their own car and would need to be available one Sunday a month. Hosts generally host an event once or twice a year.
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer for Contact the Elderly, or if you know someone aged 75 and over who is living alone in the Salisbury area who could benefit from coming along to a tea party, get in touch with the charity by calling 0800 716 543 (freephone) or clicking here to email Hayley Stokes
- Founded in 1965, Contact the Elderly is the only national charity solely focussed on relieving the acute loneliness and isolation of older people who live alone through regular face-to-face contact.
- The Contact the Elderly model is based on a simple yet very effective model: free, monthly tea parties for small groups of older people and volunteers within their community - which bring all ages together, develop fulfilling friendships and support networks, and give everyone something to look forward to.
- Contact the Elderly currently has over 800 groups throughout the UK, providing a regular, consistent and vital friendship link every month to over 6,200 older people aged 75 and over.
- There are currently over 11,000 volunteers supporting the groups: volunteer drivers collect the older guests from their homes and accompany them to tea parties, while volunteer hosts hold the tea parties in their homes.
- For more information please visit contact-the-elderly.org.uk.