'I have slowly become a zombie' - Older people urged to join Royal Tea parties to battle isolation

A leading charity is appealing to older people to end their Covid isolation by joining a 'royal' tea party in Greater Manchester in the run-up to the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

Re-engage, which is dedicated to ending loneliness among those aged 75 and over, organises hundreds of social activities throughout the UK. These include free, monthly volunteer-led tea parties, tai-chi and yoga classes. But many older people who attended before the pandemic have not returned, the charity said.

CEO Meryl Davies said: "Our tea parties are a social lifeline for many older people. Even during normal times, many don't see another person from one week to the next, and of course, Covid exacerbated that massively. Older people have so much to offer to their communities and making links across generations enriches the lives of everyone involved.

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"Our social gatherings allow people to form friendships and enjoy simple pleasures of life which are incredibly beneficial to health and wellbeing. Just having a cup of tea and some cake is a lovely way to pass an afternoon.

"But it can also be the highlight of the month - and not just for the older guests."

Before the pandemic, Re-engage supported tea parties across the country attended by around 7,000 guests. Now it is trying to encourage older people in Oldham, Stockport, Bury, Tameside and other parts of Greater Manchester to return and celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee year and ‘be treated like royalty.’

Mary, who is partially blind and was recently widowed after being married for 60 years, said: “I have no friends and I haven’t a big family. I can’t go out much, so I really look forward to the