Contact the Elderly welcome new Age Scotland campaign

Contact the Elderly welcome Age Scotland’s newly launched campaign ‘No-one should have no-one at Christmas’.

With figures outlining that more than 50,000 older Scots will spend Christmas alone, it is welcome news that the Scottish Government has also announced a national strategy to tackle loneliness.

Loneliness is an issue all year round and our team of dedicated volunteers ensure more than 1000 of those aged 75 and over who live alone enjoy social contact at least once a month through our much loved and treasured free tea parties.

The figures from Age Scotland highlight once again there is much more potential to expand our tea parties in Scotland and this is something we are working very hard to do that. To make that happen we need to identify and reach out to those living alone and we would once again like to encourage the public and other agencies to help us find these people. We also need more volunteers to offer just a little bit of time once a month, or even a couple of times a year, to make an immeasurable difference and enjoy great company, tea and cake.

Our 112 groups in Scotland, from the Borders to the Highlands, Glasgow to Aberdeenshire, Edinburgh to Angus and plenty of places in between are currently enjoying fantastic Christmas parties and it brings such joy to see volunteers and guests having a wonderful festive gathering. I would urge anyone reading this, or anyone who has offered an act of kindness inspired by the Age Scotland campaign and keen to do more throughout 2017 and beyond, to consider donating a little time – from the vast testimonials we receive from guests and volunteers we can assure you the rewards are mutually felt.

To find out more about becoming a guest of or volunteering with Contact the Elderly please visit www.contact-the-elderly.org.uk.