Charity starts monthly group to battle elderly loneliness in West Hampstead
Attendees at Contact the Elderly's first West Hampstead tea party. Picture: Contact the Elderly - Credit: Archant
Contact the Elderly, a charity solely dedicated to tackling loneliness in older people, launched its new West Hampstead offshoot with a tea party at a volunteer’s home.
The four inaugural guests – aged from 81 to 91 – and their volunteer drivers enjoyed tea, cake and even some cava at the group’s first official gathering.
They will meet monthly in the homes of different volunteers as the charity pushes to tackle what it calls “a growing epidemic of loneliness in older people”.
Contact the Elderly’s London development officer Christina Jackson said: “I’m delighted the new group has now launched, enabling us to offer a lifeline of friendship to elderly people in West Hampstead and surrounding areas who are lonely or isolated, or find it hard to get out.
“The tea parties, hosted by a different volunteer each month, are great fun and give our guests something to look forward to – we hope to be able to welcome more elderly guests from the area.
“I’m also hugely grateful to our volunteer drivers and hosts.”
