Contact the Elderly is urging the public to refer older people to attend a monthly tea party with their peers

There is one older person suffering from chronic loneliness in every postcode in the UK.

Charity Contact the Elderly says it has a solution but it needs the public to help it find older people in need.

It's an unusual problem for a charity, but the UK-wide befriending services now has more trained volunteers than it has older people to match with.

Loneliness amongst older people is a problem that can easily be solved by a community - Mary Rance

Launching a new campaign called Be Our Guest, the charity said nine out of 10 people are worried about a lonely person in their community. However, 40% of us do not feel confident that we know a way to help them.

So, the charity, which organises monthly Sunday afternoon tea parties for people over 75, is calling on the public to get in touch and tell it about people who might enjoy attending one.

Contact the Elderly is the only UK charity dealing specifically with loneliness in older people. Its research also found that 66% of people believe that loneliness is a problem in their town but half believe admitting you are lonely is difficult for people.

“Loneliness amongst older people is a problem that can easily be solved by a community”, said Contact the Elderly chief executive Mary Rance.

“By its nature, social isolation often means that the loneliest people are the hardest to reach. It’s not the case that they’re not there, it’s just that guests-to-be don’t know our service is available, and admitting you’re lonely is difficult.

“At Contact the Elderly we recognise that a grassroots approach is needed. We’ve had a fantastic stream of eager volunteers sign-up to support us, and with the help of the general public, we hope to identify those older people that need our service most to enable us to set up new tea parties across the country.

“We can’t be on every street, but we can encourage people to keep an eye out for their neighbour and help them know how to offer assistance in a discreet but significant way.”

Contact the Elderly is calling on the general public to take action and help those suffering with loneliness in their community. People can link up their older neighbours with these social opportunities, either by giving them an invitation to try out their local tea party or by directly referring potential guests to the charity.

To find out more about Contact the Elderly or to refer a potential older guest call Freephone 0800 716 543, visit www.contact-the-elderly.org.uk or email [email protected].