A group in Builth Wells is appealing for volunteers to help in its fight against loneliness in the town.

Re-engage - Builth Wells is a group of volunteers which hosts monthly tea parties for isolated people - specifically older people - so that they don’t feel alone.

Founder of the Builth branch of the group, Nicky Davies, said they have around 20 older people who are aged over 65 who attend the monthly meet-ups.

She said: “We run a group and it’s slightly different to others in the county.

“We run it every month and we provide a tea party where we play games and we just try to organise it so they have a good time.”

The aim of the group is simple - to host an event once a month for people in the area who are isolated to help combat loneliness.

Supported by a small network of volunteers, the group has struggled to relaunch following lockdown restrictions due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

`The Builth group organises the monthly Sunday afternoon tea parties and outings for older people, aged 75 and over, who live alone. Offering a regular and vital friendship link every month.

Each older person is collected from their home by a volunteer driver and taken to the monthly venue for the afternoon.

The guests are warmly welcomed by the same volunteers and drivers each month which means that over time acquaintances turn into friends and loneliness is replaced by companionship.

Nicky said: “We’re looking to bring isolated people together. It’s a lovely place to come together and to come together in friendship. We’re hoping to tackle isolation and loneliness.

“We started about three and a half years ago but with Covid, we had to stop. In that time, we’ve delivered a couple of parcels and surprised people with parcels and cakes but we’ve struggled to resume the meetings.”

The group currently has five volunteers on its team, however due to personal commitments for different members, Re-engage Builth Wells is looking for at least another “three or four” volunteers to join its ranks.

The volunteers make or buy the cakes which are used in the tea parties as helping to transport guests where possible.

Nicky said: “We need enough volunteers to make or buy the cakes - we do prefer providing homemade cakes but buying them is fine.

“We just like to make sure that all our guests are eating and having a good time.

“If anybody seems a bit quiet, we try to bring them in [to the group conversation].”

The group also hosts seasonal activities for its members such as a pumpkin carving during October around Harvest and Halloween, and making Easter-themed hats in the spring, as well as playing familiar games like Risk.

“We have around 20 guests and we try to do things that are reminiscent for them so that aren’t really around anymore like making the Easter hats or certain games.

“We actually have got more people looking to join, but we just don’t have enough volunteers right now”, said Nicky.

“It’s literally one Sunday afternoon a month during the afternoon, from about 2pm until around 6pm.

“We do like to have people who drive so they can collect the guests if possible but it’s not essential as long as you will happily be there.”

Nicky, who lives in Builth Wells, has encouraged anybody interested in volunteering to “come along for a chat” - the group can also be reached via their Facebook page Re-engage - Builth Wells. She added that there is no pressure to be available for every party if prospective volunteers already have commitments.

When asked about her experience of helping with the group, Nicky described it as “extremely rewarding”.

She said: “It is extremely rewarding, just standing back for a few seconds and watching all the guests together enjoying themselves.”

While the group - which before the pandemic aimed to meet on the second Sunday of each month - was not able to meet-up during the lockdowns and has struggled to resume properly since, the volunteers were still on hand for all of their guests with phone conversations, parcels and even small afternoon tea boxes during the lockdown in summer 2020 and Christmas hampers last winter.

When asked what inspired her to start the group originally, Nicky said it was her experience with a family member of her own.

“To be honest, it was an older relative of mine who was isolated because she lived further away from the family, including from me”, said Nicky.

“I found out that she would go anywhere from a few days to a week without seeing anybody. I spoke to the provider, Re-Engage, and looked at starting my own local group.”

Nicky, who didn’t like the idea of her relative being lonely, said she thinks its vital for the area to get the group “back up and running” for the people who rely on it.

She said: “I think it [the group] is really important We’ve got guests who don’t see any one from one week to another.”

The tea parties are a lifeline of friendship for those older guests who have little or no contact with family or friends.

According to the group’s Facebook page, “They bring people of all ages together, develop fulfilling friendships and support networks, and give everyone involved something to look forward to each month.”

Re-engage is the only national charity solely dedicated to tackling loneliness and social isolation among older people through face to face contact.

Re-engage is a UK-wide charity which has local groups in various locations around the country.

It looks to provide social connections for older people at a time in their lives when their social circles are diminishing - it claims to have helped 8,500 people who were lonely or isolated in the last year alone.

As well as the afternoon tea parties, like the one run by Nicky in Builth, the charity also offers other services - all of which are for users.

Re-engage offers “call companions” which is a telephone befriending service ensuring older people remain connected to the outside world.

It is available to anyone aged 75 and over who would benefit from a regular chat over the phone with a friendly volunteer.

Re-engage also offers “activity groups” which gives those 75 and over the chance to participate in gentle exercise as they make connections with others - in Wales, the groups are hosted both in person and online depending on each individual group.

The charity also looks to host what it calls its “Community Christmas” as it provides a free online directory of local festive events and activities taking place across the UK, which are open to local older people who would otherwise be spending Christmas alone.