These monthly tea parties have been proven to reduce loneliness in older people, and since the charity’s inception in 1965 it has grown to support over 4600 older people throughout the UK.
Contact the Elderly already has a strong presence in Amersham, London, Glasgow and Liverpool, where Barnett Waddingham have offices and the charity hopes that the Golden Jubilee partnership will help establish more groups in these areas.
Gill Rivas, from Amersham, has been volunteering with Contact the Elderly for almost a decade and has seen first-hand the impact that the parties have on lonely older people locally:
“I have been coordinating the Amersham group since it launched almost 10 years ago, and I can honestly say that I have become great friends with all the guests and volunteers in the group. I know that our guests find Sundays particularly lonely because everybody else is with their families, so our monthly tea meetings are really beneficial to them.
“The tea parties are delightful. I thoroughly enjoy the afternoons I spend with the group, so would definitely recommend anyone interested in volunteering to sign up now.”
Barnett Waddingham selected Contact the Elderly as its partner having been impressed by the charity’s mission and work in Amersham and across the UK.
Mary Rance, CEO, Contact the Elderly, said:
“We are thrilled to announce Barnett Waddingham as our Golden Jubilee Partner in our special anniversary year. Contact the Elderly relies on corporate and individual sponsors to deliver its regular face-to-face contact to lonely older people through monthly teas parties.
This partnership will enable us to extend our vital lifeline of friendship to a greater number of isolated older people, and help us in our aim to double our service delivery over the next five years.”
Nick Salter, Senior Partner at Barnett Waddingham added:
“Barnett Waddingham is proud to support Contact the Elderly in their mission to combat isolation and loneliness in older people. We are delighted to support the charity as it celebrates its Golden Jubilee and 50 years of hosting monthly tea parties for isolated older people across the UK. The charity’s concern with older people’s welfare is in line with our own commitment to supporting people later in life through our pension management services.
“Contact the Elderly’s work is so crucial in reaching isolated older people across England, Scotland and Wales, who live alone and have little or no contact with family or friends.
“As the leading independent provider of actuarial, administration and consultancy services, Barnett Waddingham is really looking forward to working with our staff to establish supportive local groups and make a difference to older peoples’ lives.”
For more information on how to volunteer with Contact the Elderly or if you want to come along to a tea party, visit: www.contact-the-elderly.org.uk or free phone 0800 716543.
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