A CHARITY is appealing for volunteers to help elderly people in Glasgow socialise again after the pandemic.
Re-engage is an organisation dedicated to helping people over the age of 75 combat loneliness and isolation by hosting free Sunday tea parties.
These social gatherings have helped the likes of Mary and Pat get through the darkest days of the Covid pandemic.
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Mary, who is partially blind and was recently widowed after being married for 60 years, said: “I have no friends and I haven’t got a big family.
"I can’t go out much, so I really look forward to the Sunday outings.
"I can’t tell you how much I enjoy them. I don’t know what I would do without the tea parties.
"If I don’t have them, I have nothing.”
Pat, 90, said: “The people who make these tea parties happen are very special. Without them they simply wouldn’t exist.
"They open up their homes to us. Most of them have children and jobs but still give up their time one Sunday a month, which is just wonderful – so public-spirited.”
Now the charity, with over 400 volunteers across Scotland and 85 in Scotland, is keen to take on people who could oversee the parties for a few hours.
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Meryl Davies, CEO of Re-engage said: “Before the pandemic our monthly tea parties provided a vital lifeline for older people who barely saw another person from one week to the next.
“Two years of lockdowns and uncertainty have left many of them lacking the confidence to get back into the outside world.
"We want them to start socialising again so they do not feel they have been left behind.
"But to do that we need local community leaders prepared to devote a few hours which can change so many lives.
“Our tea parties are the perfect remedy for those feeling isolated, probably even more so since the pandemic gripped the country, and we want to provide a service that will bring some happiness to their lives.
"Without co-ordinators we can’t do that.
“Loneliness is a serious health issue and with the over-75s one of the fastest growing populations it needs urgent attention.”
If you would like to become a coordinator please call 0207 240 0630 or visit this website.
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