A CHARITY is aiming to tackle loneliness in older people by inviting them to tea parties.

Volunteers from Contact the Elderly, a charity solely dedicated to tackling loneliness and isolation among older people, collect those wanting to join in from their homes and take them to a hosts house for a few hours of tea, conversation and company.

The group, which operates on Sunday afternoons for those over the age of 75 and who live alone in Pershore without the support of friends or family, has plenty of spaces left and is welcoming new members.

Contact the Elderly’s Midlands development officer, Pamela Walker, said the tea parties represented an opportunity to make new friends within the community, to get out of the house and to generally have a good time.

She said: “Activities for people aged 75 and above are normally limited to weekdays, so Sunday can be a particularly long and difficult day. Our tea parties are sometimes the only social outing our guests have in a month, so they can make a real difference. We therefore wanted to make people aware that the Pershore group is looking for guests and to encourage anyone interested in coming along, or those who know of people to whom it might appeal, to get in touch with us."

Pershore residents who meet the criteria and are interested in joining the Pershore Contact the Elderly group, can contact Pamela Walker on 0121 6031331 or by emailing pamela.walker@contact-the-elderly.org.uk.