A charity dedicated to tackling loneliness and isolation for over 75s needs volunteers to help rebuild its network of Sunday tea parties following two years of Covid lockdowns.

Re-engage, which has been running for 50 years, currently has 30 volunteers, who regularly provide a location for tea, sandwiches and cake for older people in the county. Guests are driven to and from the tea parties. But there is a shortage of co-ordinators in some areas including Swindon.

Chief executive Meryl Davies explained: “Before the pandemic our monthly tea parties provided a vital lifeline for older people who barely saw another person from one week to the next.

“Two years of lockdowns and uncertainty have left many of them lacking the confidence to get back into the outside world. We want them to start socialising again so they do not feel they have been left behind. But to do that we need local community leaders prepared to devote a few hours which can change so many lives."

She said: “Our tea parties are the perfect remedy for those feeling isolated, probably even more so since the pandemic gripped the country, and we want to provide a service that will bring some happiness to their lives. Without co-ordinators we can’t do that.

“Loneliness is a serious health issue and with the over-75s one of the fastest growing populations it needs urgent attention.”

One guest called Mary, who is partially blind, said: “I have no friends and I haven’t got a big family. I can’t go out much, so I really look forward to the Sunday outings.

"I can’t tell you how much I enjoy them. I don’t know what I would do without the tea parties. If I don’t have them, I have nothing.”  

Another, Pat, aged 90, said: “The people who make these tea parties happen are very special. Without them they simply wouldn’t exist. They open up their homes to us. Most of them have children and jobs but still give up their time one Sunday a month, which is just wonderful – so public-spirited.” 

If you would like to become a co-ordinator for Re-engage, which runs its monthly tea parties all over England, Scotland and Wales, contact the charity on 0207 240 0630 or visit reengage.org.uk for more details.