THE Yate arm of a national charity movement is facing closure if more volunteers do not come forward to have tea with elderly members of their community.

Contact the Elderly, a UK-wide charity dedicated to tackling loneliness and isolation among older people, is urgently appealing for volunteers living in Yate to spare a few hours each month to drive one or two older people to a local tea party.

The charity model is based on a simple idea of holding free, monthly tea parties for small groups of older people and volunteers bringing people together and establishing support networks.

Each older guest aged over 75 is collected from their home by a volunteer driver, and taken to a host’s home, where they join a small group for tea, chat and companionship. However, the popular group in Yate is currently at risk of closure due to a lack of volunteers who are able to drive and accompany older guests in the group to and from the gatherings each month.

Volunteer support officer Amanda Hall said: “The charity is committed to offering a lifeline of friendship to the oldest and loneliest people, but this lifeline is currently under threat in Yate, due to a real shortage of volunteer drivers in the area.

"Anyone who can spare a couple of hours one Sunday a month, has a driving licence, a car, and a capacity for drinking tea, is eligible.

“It’s not a big commitment and our volunteers genuinely get as much out of the experience as our older guests, so I’m calling for anyone who is interested in giving something back to their community to please get in touch with me as soon as possible.”

Volunteers should contact Amanda Hall on 0207 881 2369 or email amanda.hall@contact-the-elderly.org.uk