Inverness volunteers celebrated for their work to help alleviate loneliness
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Around a dozen supporters of Contact the Elderly’s Inverness 5 group were championed at a special event
The charity tackles social isolation amongst older people through organising friendly, informal tea parties.
They included drivers who regularly give up their Sunday afternoons to chauffeur guests to the gatherings, volunteer hosts who welcome groups of older people into their homes for afternoon tea and the group co-ordinator Janet MacPherson who makes all the events happen by bringing everyone together.
The celebration was held at the city’s Palace Hotel and attended by representatives of Inverness-based legal practice Macleod and MacCallum whose Mighty Mac community grant to the charity funded the event.
Contact the Elderly support officer Caroline Peter, who is currently appealing for more volunteers, said it was the perfect opportunity to acknowledge the vital work of their supporters.
“The contribution of our volunteers cannot be under-estimated. We simply could not
continue to tackle the growing problem of social isolation among older people without their
dedication and hard work.
“We have over 200 volunteers, supporting 20 tea party groups in Highlands, who are so
highly valued both by the organisation and the guests. Across Scotland more than 140
groups are supported by volunteers and our Inverness 5 group has been making these tea
parties a huge success for 14 years so we were delighted to be able to show our
appreciation of its volunteers by making them our guests this weekend.
“But the nature of our work and the increasingly prevalent issue of loneliness means there is
always a need for more groups and more volunteers to support them.”
Contact the Elderly’s premise is simple – giving older people, usually those over 75 and living alone, the opportunity to get out and enjoy a couple of hours of lively company over cake and a cuppa.
There are currently five groups in Inverness and Caroline is appealing for more drivers, hosts and group co-ordinators. Drivers, who chauffeur the same group of guests to and from the gatherings, are required one afternoon a month. Hosts are only asked to entertain small group of guests two or three times a year. Group co-ordinators are the volunteers who really help to bring all the parts of this simple idea together by linking up drivers with guests and hosts each month.
Caroline explained:
“For anyone considering volunteering it is a really lovely way to contribute without too
onerous a commitment. Many of our volunteers have been with us for years and say
they get just as much out of it as the guests. For them it’s a case of a small kindness
reaping great rewards.”
To find out more about becoming a guest or volunteer of Contact the Elderly in Inverness, please contact Caroline Peter on 01561 405011 or caroline.peter@contact-the-elderly.org.uk
