Contact the Elderly, the national charity dedicated to tackling loneliness and isolation among older people, is urgently appealing for volunteers living in Retford. The charity aims to relieve the acute loneliness of isolated older people, aged 75 and above, who live alone, by organising monthly Sunday afternoon tea parties for small groups — providing a regular and vital friendship link every month.
Older guests are collected from their home by a volunteer driver, and taken to a volunteer host’s home, where they join a small group for tea, chat and companionship. The charity has a group in the Retford area, however, it is currently struggling to recruit volunteer drivers and volunteer hosts.
Contact the Elderly’s Midlands Development Officer, Tracy Parr, said: “The charity is committed to offering a lifeline of friendship to the oldest and loneliest people, but our hopes of extending this lifeline to even more older people in Retford are currently fading due to a shortage of volunteers in the area.
“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 just involve 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.”
Retford residents interested in volunteering for Contact the Elderly can contact Tracy on 07914 152679 or email tracy.parr@contact-the-elderly.org.uk.