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Befriending / Mentoring

Tea party host

  • RE-engage
  • VO97839
  • Home-based volunteering

Description

Our tea party hosts are a vital part of the Re-engage team.

Tea parties provide a lifeline of friendship for our older people, and the regular, warm, friendly chats and companionship provide a vital link with the outside world from which they have become isolated. Re-engage needs enthusiastic volunteers to work as tea party hosts.

This is a flexible, voluntary role that can easily be fitted in around your own lifestyle and availability. As a volunteer host you will run a local Re-engage tea party one to two times a year. You will host a group made up of volunteer drivers, the group coordinator and older guests in either your home or a community venue. The tea parties will last around two hours and will usually take place on a Sunday afternoon.

You will need one reference and to complete an ID check for this role.

The number of older guests attending your tea party will be confirmed by the group coordinator prior to the group meeting so you have plenty of time to plan. It is important for the older guests to have access to a downstairs toilet. They will also require seating; a combination of lounge chairs and hard back chairs is fine. Don’t worry if you don’t have chairs for all the drivers as they will be circulating and helping you if required, so you can enjoy the afternoon too. A lot of stairs can present problems, although just a few steps are usually manageable.

No experience necessary however we are looking for hosts with the following skills and attributes:
• Organised
• Good conversational skills
• An enthusiasm for making genuine connections with older people in your community
• A friendly, patient, and empathetic approach
• Passion for entertaining, providing food and refreshments
• Basic understanding of food hygiene
• Basic computer literacy (including the ability to use email)

Organisation aims and objectives

Re-Engage is the only national charity solely dedicated to tackling loneliness and social isolation among older people. Supported by a network of volunteers, the charity organises monthly Sunday afternoon tea parties for small groups of 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 a volunteer host’s home for the afternoon. The group is warmly welcomed by a different host each month, but the drivers remain the same which means that over the months and years, acquaintances turn into friends and loneliness is replaced by companionship. Our tea parties are a real lifeline of friendship for our older guests who have little or no contact with family or friends. They bring people of all ages together, develop fulfilling friendships and support networks, and give everyone involved something to look forward to each month.

Availability

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
Morning
Afternoon
Evening

One Sunday once or twice a year.

Frequency and commitment details

One Sunday once or twice a year.

Restrictions

No Gender Restriction,
Experience required: No Expertise, Caring,Good Communicator,Organised,Patient,Reliable / Dependable,Sociable,Team Player,Trustworthy,
Travel details: The opportunity takes place at multiple location across South Lanarkshire Yes Across South Lanarkshire,Blantyre,Glasgow,Hamilton,Rutherglen,North Lanarkshire
Minimum age: 18

Support

Support: Named Contact For Volunteer

Last updated 12 days ago

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