Mancunians over the age of 75 are being invited to tea by a charity dedicated to tackling isolation among the elderly.
Contact the Elderly, who are celebrating their golden jubilee this year, have announced that their Manchester-based group has spaces for new members, and are inviting people to join.
The charity has groups of people across the country who get together with the help of volunteer drivers and hosts to enjoy some tea and cake.
Contact the Elderly’s North West Development Officer, Gwen Lightfoot, said: “For older people who live alone, Sundays can be particularly long and difficult.
“These tea parties give people a chance to get together with others, make new friends, eat delicious cakes and enjoy a cup of tea.”
The charity says that they offer ‘a regular and vital friendship link’ with their monthly gatherings, which are kept purposefully small.
Gwen added: “The monthly events make a real difference to the lives of those in the group and we would encourage anyone interested in coming along, or those who know of people to whom it might appeal, to get in touch.”
For each monthly meeting, the guests are collected by volunteer drivers and taken to a different host’s house for one Sunday each month where they can enjoy some tea, cakes, and conversation
One of the volunteers who has offered to lend a hand is Claire Kelsey, better known for running Ginger’s Comfort Emporium, the adult ice-cream van.
She told MM: “As people get older they got more isolated, and sometimes, if they haven’t got family and they’re getting older, you can lose touch with people.
“Loneliness is quite a bad state to be in and I just feel for people in that situation, all it takes is a little bit of effort and good things can happen. There are a lot of benefits from being social.”
Claire, who is preparing to help with her first event, added that the diminishing number of opportunities for adults to socialise meant it was more important than ever to make a real effort.
She said: “People are losing their social networks. Bingo halls are closing down, post offices, and the usual places where people bump into each other and have a chat.
“Libraries, that kind of thing, those things are all slowly going and we’re becoming more isolated in front of computers at home. When I see things like that happening, I think that’s quite significant.
“There needs to be more social cohesion, more get-togethers, and more opportunities to go out and see other people and talk.”
Contact the Elderly was set up in 1965 by the charity’s Chairman, Trevor Lyttleton MBE, and has since focused on relieving the loneliness of elderly people who live alone.
The charity now has over 565 groups nationwide with 4,600 regular guests, supported by 7,400 volunteers, a figure which they hope to double by 2020.
Manchester residents aged 75 and over who live without the support of family and friends, can contact the Manchester Contact the Elderly group by phone on 01925 728969.
Image courtesy of Lisa Widerberg, with thanks.