Volunteers needed for a chat over tea

A charity is on the lookout for volunteers to help them set up monthly tea parties in Rutherglen, Cambuslang and East Kilbride.

Contact the Elderly, which has three groups in the South Lanarkshire area, are looking for kind- hearted people with a love for tea, cake and chatter.

The charity hopes these volunteers will help alleviate social isolation for older people in the area.

They also plan to attract up to 10 new guests from the area to join a new tea party at a sheltered housing complex.

Janice Kerr, Central Scotland Development Officer at Contact the Elderly, said: “Our parties provide an essential lifeline of friendship for older people who live alone.

“A lot of people will feel sad to think of older people feeling lonely but will assume there is nothing they can do or that providing support takes a lot of time, time people simply don’t have nowadays as we live increasingly busy lives – this is not the case.

“Just a few hours once a month, or for our hosts once or twice a year, have an enormous positive impact on our guests.

“For older people interested in joining us, it may seem initially daunting to pick up the phone and arrange to meet with a whole new group of people, but our experience shows us that our guests have a wonderful time and are so glad they made that step to leave the house and socialise with lovely people in their own communities.

“The parties are equally enjoyed by our guests and volunteers and I would encourage those interested in joining in the fun in South Lanarkshire to get in touch.”

Guests should be aged 75 and over and live alone.

Volunteer hosts welcome groups of between eight and 10 people into their homes once or twice a year, providing refreshments.

Hosts’ homes must have no more than a few steps into them, and a downstairs toilet.

Volunteer drivers collect a guest or two one Sunday afternoon a month, joining them at the party before driving them home. The charity also has a pool of reserve drivers.

For more information on joining Contact the Elderly in South Lanarkshire contact Janice on 01236 898613 or Janice. kerr@ contact- theelderly.org.uk.