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A charity which offers a vital lifeline of friendship to older people who live alone is appealing for guests as it gets set to launch its first group in the Auchencairn area which will also cover Dundrennan and Palnackie.
Kind-hearted people in the local community have signed up as volunteers to drive older people to and host free monthly Sunday afternoon tea parties. The group will launch in the coming months and hopes to help more older people in the local community who would enjoy an afternoon out of the house at a time where they might otherwise have nowhere to go and no-one to see.
The demand from volunteers in and around Auchencairn has led to the creation of the new group.
Morna O’May, Development Officer at Contact the Elderly, said:
“Our tea parties are great fun for everyone involved. The chance to get out the house and enjoy an afternoon of tea, sandwiches, cake and, often most importantly, lovely company and shared chat, is so important to the older people we support.
“I understand it may feel daunting to get in touch about joining a new group and planning to meet new people but our parties are very informal and everyone is there to have a nice afternoon and make friends.
“Our guests at parties throughout Scotland have told us hundreds of times how much the friendships they make through their Contact the Elderly groups mean to them and how they would encourage others in their position to pick up the phone and enquire about joining. Sunday is the loneliest day of the week for many people, particularly those who live alone and are unable to get out as much as they would like and our free parties are a great way to spend the afternoon.”
Contact the Elderly supports more than 900 older people throughout Scotland and the charity recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. The parties tend to welcome up to six older people and three or four volunteer drivers in volunteer hosts’ homes. Volunteer drivers collect one or two older people and join them at the parties and take them safely home afterwards.
If you, or someone you know, would like to find out more about becoming a guest of Contact the Elderly in Auchencairn, please contact Morna on 01786 871264 or
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Auchencairn is a traditional Scottish village consisting mainly of stone houses dating from the early 17th century. It is located on the heritage coastline of the Solway Estuary, an area of unspoiled hills, cliffs, islands, bays and beaches known locally as the Scottish Riviera.
