The first Contact the Elderly tea party in Scotland was held early in 1971 at Greenbank House in Clarkston, with its lovely gardens and tearoom, Greenbank was an ideal setting.

Since then we have grown steadily, and now have three part-time Development Officers, under the guidance of our Scottish Executive Officer,  covering large parts of the Highlands, the West of Scotland and the East. Our 60 groups provide regular companionship to isolated older people in cities, towns and villages in 20 of the Local Authority areas of Scotland, in 10 NHS Board areas – stretching from Invergordon to Aberdeen, Forfar to Peebles, and Benderloch to Arran.

Our Development Officers currently support over 650 volunteers in these groups, enabling over 700 guests to get together in small groups, to enjoy afternoon tea once a month on a Sunday between 2.00 and 4.30 pm.   Most groups go out at least every month so that’s 720 tea parties a year in Scotland alone! Many of our original groups are still running after 40 years – with most of the original volunteers! This is testament to the dedication of the volunteers involved and the staff who support them.

Referrals of older people come from different sources including Primary Care teams, Social Services, Benevolent Societies, other voluntary organisations, family and self-referrals.   Volunteer Centres refer prospective volunteers to us and we also raise awareness of our volunteering opportunities and the need for volunteers, in libraries, community centres, colleges, sports centres, local media, and through exhibitions.

Partnerships are essential to the successful development and growth of Contact the Elderly groups and we manage relationships with many organisations and individuals for each group supported.

The need

The need for our groups is even greater than ever before.  People are living longer, and it’s not unusual to hear of people in their 90’s and 100’s taking part in our regular outings for afternoon tea.

Current Scottish Government projections indicate that will be an 80% increase in people over 75 by 2033, and – in Scotland as a % of the population – we will have a greater number of elderly people than other areas in the UK.  The Councils with the largest proportions of over 75s are predominantly rural – Argyll & Bute, the Western Isles, Dumfries & Galloway, and South Ayrshire.

The implications of an ageing population are wide-ranging and complex. They include potential increased demands on public services from some older people, combined with a desire to remain in their own homes for as long as possible.   With cutbacks in services offering “practical help”, the lack of meaningful social contact will become more of a critical issue – leading to an increase in the number of people in their 80s, 90s and above, suffering from loneliness and social isolation and a general decline in health.    Contact the Elderly groups can – and do – provide that social contact and complement the portfolio of re-ablement services currently being developed within Social Care.

The challenges for Contact the Elderly in Scotland are to secure sustainable funding, recruit appropriate volunteers in the areas where we need them to enable us to start new groups, and identify the most isolated older people who are most at risk of developing depression without the kind of support we provide.

40 years in Scotland

To help celebrate our 40th anniversary in Scotland in 2011 we held a our first conference in Scotland, and held a Big Tea Party Day in September, when most of our groups were treated to a special afternoon tea at either a Castle, a Garden Centre or a National Trust for Scotland property – most appropriate as the very first tea party was held in one of their properties!  We also gave our volunteer hosts a special treat, and took them out to tea, so they had a chance to be waited on hand and foot for a change!  We are extremely grateful to the Robertson Trust for their financial support to make this possible.

If you would like to become one of our great volunteers please contact one of our Development Officers from our Contact page.