Contact The Elderly

Brief History

"Contact the Elderly" is a registered charity, founded by Trevor Lyttleton in 1965 For 40 years Contact the Elderly groups around the country have been taking out lonely elderly folk one Sunday afternoon a month for tea. Nationally there are over 260 groups, including 30 in the South West, but only 2 in Somerset (Weston-s-Mare and Frome)!

 

Contact the Elderly, in partnership with Social Services, is now looking for support to enable a local group to be launched, hopefully in July, to help alleviate the isolation and loneliness of some of the elderly in our local community.

 

Contact the Elderly groups organise gatherings for elderly people who live alone. One Sunday afternoon a month volunteer drivers take a group of around 6-8 elderly people on regular visits to hosts' homes. The group visits a different home every month and spends a few hours in the company of friends, old and new.

 

A 90-year-old woman in Staplegrove says, "Sunday is always the loneliest day of the week. I miss my husband so much and my family live in the North. I would love to be taken out occasionally. It would really give me something to look forward to, a reason for living even! I do hope that a group can be established."

 

Sarah Aston, Voluntary Services Officer at Social Services says, "Groups can provide a vital lifeline for elderly people, who become lonely and depressed. We desperately need to develop a group in this area so we can reach and touch the lives of elderly people who have no relatives close by and who may go days without speaking to anyone. Just a few hours on a Sunday afternoon can really cheer up a lonely elderly person".

 

Terry Gibson, Development Officer for Contact the Elderly says "To enable a group to be launched locally we are seeking just 2 or 3 more volunteer drivers (one Sunday afternoon a month). It is a small commitment, which can make such a difference to lonely people. Our volunteers find it's very rewarding and fun as well".

 

To find out more about the group, or to become a volunteer, or if you know of an elderly person who would benefit from these outings, please contact Terry Gibson on 01276 502611 or email here.