The Anchor Community Band has been created by Anchor – England’s largest not-for-profit provider of housing and care for the over 55s – to record a music single celebrating the lives of older people. The band is made up of around 350 residents and staff members from Anchor’s care homes and retirement housing. Contact the Elderly will benefit from the proceeds of all sales generated.

The single See Yourself is based on a lifetime of experiences of people throughout the country, with the lyrics promoting an understanding about ageing across the generations. A questionnaire was sent out to many of our older guests and people living in Anchor homes, to seek their input for the lyrics and the band has been busy recording the song over the past couple of months.

Keith Arscott, Director at Contact the Elderly, said: “Over the past four months, Anchor has been working tremendously hard and collaborating with Contact the Elderly to get this innovative project off the ground. The money raised will be invaluable in helping us to extend our vital lifeline of friendship to more isolated older people. We are extremely grateful to Anchor.”

Contact the Elderly staff and volunteers have attended events at various Anchor care homes and retirement housing to celebrate the launch of the single.

Cornwall Development Officer, Janey Comber, was invited to an event in Plymouth, and said: “I was made to feel very welcome and was asked to make a speech. I also cut a fabulous cake and we all enjoyed scones with jam and cream, and Champagne. The staff enjoyed the singing so much that they have organised a choir to perform concerts for the residents!”

If 10,000 copies are purchased before the 8th June, See Yourself could make the top 40. This will not only help increase awareness about Contact the Elderly’s work, but will also help provide a lifeline of friendship to even more isolated older people.

You can pre-order the CD from Amazon and the digital version from iTunes. The song will be released officially on the 3rd June, when a digital version will also be available from Amazon. Anyone who has pre-ordered will also receive their CD or digital version on 3rd June.

The countdown continues, with now less than 2 weeks to go until volunteer driver, Alice Surridge, runs the Virgin London Marathon 2013 in support of Contact the Elderly.

The Virgin London Marathon takes place on Sunday 21st April and Alice has been training extremely hard. Alice is understandably feeling quite nervous about the 26.2 mile run, but here at Contact the Elderly we have absolutely no doubt that she will be fantastic on the day.

Alice said: “Over the last few months we have sadly lost a few guests in our gang and it really highlighted that the support and friendship we build and create within our groups really does make a huge difference to the lives of older people. I am feeling pretty nervous about the run, but I know the day will be amazing. I can’t wait!”

Staff members from the Contact the Elderly National Office will be at mile 20 on the day to support Alice, along with Alice’s friends and family members. If you would like to come and cheer Alice on then do come down!

Alternatively if you would like to support Alice and Contact the Elderly by making a donation to Alice’s JustGiving page, you can do so here.

Contact the Elderly is recruiting two new members of staff to join its Scottish team.

Development Officer, home-based in Central Scotland (travel required)
21 hours per week – £22,000 p.a. (pro rata)

To develop and maintain sustainable new friendship groups and support existing groups, by recruiting, motivating and supporting volunteers, identifying elderly beneficiaries and raising awareness of our work.

Group Support Officer, home-based in Central Scotland (travel required)
28 hours per week – £19,000 p.a. (pro rata)

To support the friendship groups, by assisting with recruiting and supporting volunteers, identifying elderly beneficiaries, raising awareness of our work and dealing with both written and telephone enquiries via our telephone support line.

Both positions will be home-based in East Dunbartonshire, East Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire or South Lanarkshire. Initially working in these areas with potential development into other areas including, South Ayrshire, Dumfries & Galloway and the Scottish Borders. For more information and to request an application pack, please click here.

The 2013 spring edition of Contact News, Contact the Elderly’s bi-annual newsletter, will shortly be arriving on the doorstep of all current Contact the Elderly volunteers, older guests and supporters.

If you would like to read about the exciting news from our groups around England, Scotland and Wales, then you can view our online version here.

We do hope you enjoy our spring edition, and if you have any thoughts of comments please do not hesitate to contact us.

If you are a volunteer or a guest, and would like to feature a story from your group in our next national newsletter, please send the story to us, along with any high resolution pictures, by June 1st 2013.

We are seeking a new Communications Assistant to join the communications team in our central London office. The full time position will involve assisting with all internal and external communications activity, maintaining the charity’s database and managing volunteer recruitment.

Click here to read more about the role, and request an application pack.

Closing date is April 4th 2013.

One of our guests Maud, supported by Contact the Elderly Director Keith Arscott, was interviewed yesterday by ITV News’ Social Affairs Editor, Penny Marshall.

Penny was putting together a piece commenting on research from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) about the number of people living alone and the repercussions this has on health and wellbeing.

The ONS states that the proportion of adults living alone almost doubled between 1973 and 1998.

At Contact the Elderly we know that living alone for some is a lifestyle choice and about wishing to remain independent, whereas for other people, it is forced upon them by, for example, the death of a partner. Therefore loneliness and isolation is something many older people endure on a daily basis.

Maud spoke eloquently about the loneliness she experienced when her lifelong friend Margie passed away several years ago and the difference the tea parties have made to her life.

For more information and to view some of the footage, please click here.

Contact the Elderly’s recently launched Southwark 4 group enjoyed a fantastic first tea party, held at the home of volunteer hosts, Morag & Mike Todd.

Morag, who used to coordinate the Watford group 20 years ago, laid on a delicious spread with sandwiches, homemade lemon cake, scotch pancake biscuits, chocolate mousse and individual trifles.

Juanita fan, Coordinator, driver and host for the new group, as well as the existing Southwark 3 group, said: “I wanted to create a new group in Southwark, and with the help of South West London Development Officer, Tracey Leighton, and older guest, Iris, 84, we soon had enough volunteers and older guests to organise our first tea party. Everyone had a lovely afternoon.”