Valued volunteers

With this year’s Volunteers’ Week drawing to a close, Contact the Elderly would like to celebrate and thank our 1400-strong army of volunteers in scotland without whom our work, to combat loneliness among older people, would simply not be possible. They come from all walks of life and across the age spec- trum but they all have one thing in common – a determination to help provide a vital lifeline of friendship to members of the older generation who are socially isolated.

As the charity’s volunteer drivers and hosts, they brighten the lives of hundreds of guests who are chauffeured to and from free Sunday afternoon tea parties the length and breadth of the country.

The annual Volunteers’ Week recognises the contribution made by millions of volunteers across the UK but this year is particularly special for Contact the Elderly which has a growing number of young people supporting its work through its Future of Volunteering project, running throughout Scotland’s Year of Young People 2018.

It’s wonderful to see the generation gap shrink as the youngsters interact with our guests and the power of good all our volunteers do is immeasurable.

Loneliness has become an epidemic in Scotland and is sometimes closer to home than many of us want to admit. We believe no one should be totally cut off from social contact and are grateful that so many people all over Scotland are willing to step in to help ease a situation that can really blight the lives of older people.

MORNA O’MAY Head of Service – Scotland, Contact the Elderly, Kippen,

Stirlingshire