A SOUTHAMPTON befriending charity has been given a grant of £5k to host tea parties for the lonely

Woolston-based charity Communicare has been handed the cash from Southampton City Council in a bid to help boost community spirit

The group is now planning to host 12 social get togethers for the elderly and those suffering from social isolation

The project is part of the Great Get Together - a national campaign in remembrance of murdered MP Jo Cox.

Now Communicare will work with the Co-op and the British Red Cross who will provide food and drink and help people join in the events

Communicare’s manager Annie Clewlow said: “Funding for events like these is vital to our work in the city. We’re inviting anyone along who wishes to meet new people and share some tea and cake in the process. A very warm welcome awaits them! Our grant covers 12 tea parties for the coming 12 months, so there will be other opportunities for people to come along and get to know their neighbours if they aren’t free this time around.

“We’ll be pooling volunteers to help host the events. By working closely with the British Red Cross, we are providing new opportunities for local people to meet up and socialise and making sure we are together able to reach as many people as possible who might need our support.

“Our service is run by us and staffed by our committed, kind-hearted, Communiteers who act as good neighbours; generously providing practical and emotional support.”

Doreen Smith, who uses Communicare’s services, said: “The tea parties are great fun and it really makes a difference to me to be able to get out and about meeting new people. It can be quite lonely at home if you’re retired and on your own, especially if you have family but they are busy with work and other things. It’s important they get on with their lives and events like these give me something to do and it keeps me out of mischief! It’s an invaluable service, a lifeline.

“They are absolutely wonderful; a great get together, the staff are so friendly and welcoming, you are really cared for and looked after. It is lovely to meet other people and talk to everyone, the tea parties are really important as it gets people out of their home that wouldn’t normally mix or go out at all especially for those who might not see or talk to anyone.”

As reported, the Daily Echo helped boost Communicare's volunteer base by 90 per cent

Communicare’s Good Neighbours’ Network supports nearly 400 individuals and families annually in Southampton, covering 671 different tasks including one-to-one befriending, either at home or out and about, transport to medical, social or other appointments and activities, shopping for or accompanying service users, DIY tasks and gardening projects.

The charity recently launched its Homecoming project, which supports people recently discharged from hospital

The service offered is free, although beneficiaries are invited to make a donation if they can

For further details, please call 023 8021 6022