Mike Freer MP demonstrated his ongoing support for national charity Contact the Elderly by hosting an awareness raising event in the House of Commons last night.
Contact the Elderly aims to tackle acute loneliness and social isolation amongst older people aged 75 and above by organising free monthly Sunday afternoon tea parties in the homes of volunteer hosts. Mike Freer MP, who is a keen advocate for the charity, addressed everyone at the event before giving his guests a guided tour of the House.
The awareness-raising evening follows a successful event in June this year, in which the MP invited isolated older people from Contact the Elderly’s Finchley groups to have afternoon tea in his Constituency Office, Ballards Lane.
Mike Freer said: “Social isolation has devastating effects on the health and wellbeing of older people. I have seen first hand through hosting my own tea party that Contact the Elderly offers a fantastic solution to the epidemic of loneliness, in Finchley and throughout the UK.”
Contact the Elderly’s North London Development Officer, Izzy Wise, said: “We are hugely grateful to Mike Freer for his invaluable support in helping us to combat loneliness amongst isolated older people. Through Mike’s involvement we aim to drive volunteer recruitment and reach out to a greater number of older people in the Finchley area who live alone with little support from nearby friends and family.”
Further information can be found on their website: http://www.contact-the-elderly.org.uk/