Volunteers needed to be a lifeline for the elderly
Charity needs people to stop older people becoming isolated
VOLUNTEERS from Hayes are urgently needed by a charity dedicated to tackling loneliness and isolation among older people.
Contact the Elderly holds afternoon tea parties for the over-75s who live by themselves once a month on a Sunday.
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.
Izzy Wise, Contact the Elderly’s north London development officer, said: “The charity is committed to offering a lifeline of friendship to the oldest and loneliest people, but to continue to extend this lifeline to older people in Hayes we really need some new volunteers.”
The charity’s existing group in Hayes is currently under threat due to a lack of volunteers.
In order to keep going it needs more drivers as well as hosts to welcome the group into their homes for tea once or twice a year and a volunteer coordinator to help organise the monthly tea parties.
Contact the Elderly has more than 565 groups throughout England, Scotland and Wales and link every month to over 4,600 older people
Ms Wise added: “Anyone who can spare a couple of hours one Sunday a month, has a driving licence, a car and a capacity for drinking tea is eligible.
“For those interested in becoming a host, it would involve just a couple of hours once or twice a year.
“It’s not a big commitment and our volunteers genuinely get as much out of the experience as our older guests.
“So I’m calling for anyone who is interested in giving something back to their community to please get in touch with me as soon as possible.”
Interested Hayes residents should contact Amanda Hall, London volunteer support officer, on 020 7240 0630 or email Amanda. hall@ contactthe-elderly.org.uk.