CONTACT the Elderly, a leading national charity supported by the players of People’s Postcode Lottery, is inviting residents in Bude to join its monthly tea parties for a few hours of tea, chat and good company.

Currently the group in Bude has space for a number of new guests to join and the charity is keen to raise awareness of these openings among the local community.

Contact the Elderly, with the support of thousands of volunteers all across the UK, organises monthly tea parties for small groups of older people, aged 75 and above, who live alone and would like some company on a Sunday afternoon.

Each guest is collected from their home by a volunteer driver and taken to a volunteer host’s home, where they meet with a small group for tea, chat and friendship. The group is welcomed by a different host each month, but the drivers remain the same, which means that over the months and years, acquaintances turn into friends and loneliness is replaced by companionship.

Contact the Elderly’s head of service, Katy Szita, said: “For older people who live alone, Sundays can be particularly long and difficult. These tea parties give people a chance to get together with others, make new friends, eat delicious cakes and enjoy a cup of tea. The monthly events make a real difference to the lives of those in the group and we would encourage anyone interested in coming along, or those who know of people to whom it might appeal, to get in touch.”

Bude residents, aged 75 and above, who live alone and are interested in joining the Bude Contact the Elderly group can contact Katy Szita on 020 8530 0494, email [email protected] or call the charity’s national office on freephone on 0800 716543.