A group which hosts monthly tea parties for isolated older people in Brentwood is urging local people to support a national charity. 

Contact the Elderly, will celebrate its Golden Jubilee and fifty years of helping combat loneliness in older people on April 19.

Local older people and volunteers will celebrate the charity’s Golden Jubilee with a special ‘Big FifTEA’ party.

The ‘Big FifTEA’ party in Brentwood will be one of hundreds of celebrations nationally, with over 5000 older people and volunteers across the UK celebrating the work of Contact the Elderly over the last fifty years.

The charity aims to relieve the acute loneliness of isolated older people aged 75 and over, by organising monthly Sunday tea parties.

Supported by a network of volunteer drivers and hosts, the tea parties in Brentwood provide the charity’s older guests with much-needed regular face-to-face contact.

Contact the Elderly tea parties always take place on a Sunday when most other services are unavailable and older people can feel particularly lonely.

A monthly tea party can make such a difference to someone’s life and with 570 groups and over 7,500 volunteers across the UK, the charity is now appealing for more volunteers and local funding in order to access older people, many of whom do not have regular face-to-face contact with anyone other than a carer or the postman.

Jane Geering, Contact the Elderly volunteer from Brentwood said: “Every month I see the difference that the tea parties we hold here in Brentwood make to local older people who are lonely and isolated.

"Friendships have formed between younger volunteers and older guests, who really look forward to spending an afternoon having a tea, cake and a good chat.

“Having seen the difference that our parties make to the health and happiness of older people in our community, I would urge local people to support Contact the Elderly in any way they can.

"We’re in need of more volunteers and donations to help us reach more isolated older people and would appreciate any support that local people or businesses can give.”

Mary Rance, CEO, Contact the Elderly said: “We’re very proud to be celebrating our 50th anniversary and are extremely grateful to our incredible volunteers for making our work possible.

"Fifty years is a remarkable landmark and in addition to celebrating our achievements to date we must think about the future of loneliness.

"The number of isolated over-75s is growing, and there are still one million lonely older people in England, Scotland and Wales who are completely cut off from society and need our help.

“Contact the Elderly has set ambitious targets to double its service delivery over the next five years. In order to accomplish this task, we need as much public support as possible in our Golden Jubilee Year and beyond.”

For more information on how to volunteer with Contact the Elderly or if you want to come along to a tea party, visit: www.contact-the-elderly.org.uk or free phone 0800 716543.