Contact the Elderly has been named the Older People’s Project of the Year at the Herald Society awards.

contact the elderly

The charity, which provides tea, cake and company for older people locally, has 111 groups in Scotland offering a vital lifeline of friendship to more than 1000 people aged over 75 who live alone.

Contact the Elderly has been running tea parties for more than 50 years, offering a vital lifeline of friendship. In the past five years, the number of groups in Scotland has soared with people enjoying one another’s company from the Borders to the Highlands.

Morna O’ May, Head of Service – Scotland at Contact the Elderly, said: “We feel truly honoured to have won this award. Loneliness in older age is the sad reality faced by many people and we are delighted that what we do is helping to tackle this blight. We are extremely proud of what we have achieved and would like to extend our thanks to our volunteers and guests for making the tea parties so special.”

Free monthly Sunday afternoon tea parties take place in a volunteer host’s home. Guests are collected and accompanied by a volunteer driver.

The Herald Society awards ceremony was held at the Crowne Plaza in Glasgow on 2nd November.

To find out more about Contact the Elderly or to refer a potential older guest call Freephone 0800 716 543, visit www.contact-the-elderly.org.uk or email guest@contact-the-elderly.org.uk.