insideKENT Magazine Issue 22 - January 2014 | Page 142

CHARITY FREE TEA PARTIES BRING TOGETHER OVER-75s LIVING ALONE A chartered legal executive who has spent her career helping elderly and vulnerable clients is launching a voluntary group to give older, lonely people in Herne Bay and Whitstable the chance to socialise and make friends. Val Prosser, who lives in Herne Bay, is part of a growing network of volunteers who give their time to Contact the Elderly, the only national charity that focuses solely on tackling loneliness and isolation among the over-75s. The charity organises free monthly Sunday afternoon tea parties for small groups of older people who live alone. As co-ordinator of the new Whitstable and Herne Bay group, Val is now seeking volunteer drivers and tea party hosts. She is also inviting anyone aged 75 or over, who lives alone and is interested in coming along to the tea parties, to get in touch. Val Prosser “The tea parties provide vital contact for those who live alone and provide an opportunity for them to meet others and build lasting friendships,” said Val, who works in the Elderly Client Team of Kent law firm Furley Page. Volunteer drivers are needed once a month on a Sunday afternoon. “They will collect the same elderly person each month to allow a close bond to develop,” said Val. Volunteer hosts across Herne Bay and Whitstable are required to provide tea and cakes in their home one or two Sunday afternoons a year. “By volunteering, people can really help make a difference to lonely elderly people and bring them companionship through regular social contact. “It can also be very rewarding for the volunteers. Over the months and years acquaintances turn into friends and loneliness is replaced by companionship,” added Val. For more information about Contact the Elderly, visit www.contact-the-elderly.org.uk. To volunteer for the Herne Bay and Whitstable group, or to take part in the tea parties, email Val Prosser at [email protected] or call her on 01227 763939. As part of Furley Page’s Elderly Client Team, Val specialises in helping people who are becoming confused and are struggling to look after their affairs, or who may be living with dementia. For details of Furley Page’s Elderly Client services visit www.furleypage.co.uk. ASHFORD ACCOUNTANCY FIRM WILKINS KENNEDY RAISES £3,300 FOR ABBIE’S ARMY Wilkins Kennedy LLP, Chartered Accountants and Business Advisers in Ashford, has raised £3,300 for Abbie’s Army, a children’s charity that supports research into DIPG (Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma), a rare, incurable and inoperable brain tumour. Abbie’s mother, Mandy Walker, says: “We are overwhelmed with the amount raised. Every penny will go directly to much needed DIPG research, that will hopefully one day lead to a real breakthrough for this deadly disease.” Abbie’s Army is a charity dedicated to the memory of Ashford schoolgirl Abbie Mifsud, who was diagnosed with DIPG and passed away in 2011, aged six. Abbie underwent her treatment at The Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton, Surrey, and money previously raised by the charity has been donated to the Children’s Brain Tumour Research Centre at the University of Nottingham. It also supported the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity through their Marsden March event. All of the staff at Wilkins Kennedy in Ashford have been involved in organising and hosting a number of different fundraising activities including charity quizzes, raffles, bake sales, contests and sweepstakes. 142 Paul Webb, Senior Manager at Wilkins Kennedy in Ashford, said: ”When we heard the devastating news about Abbie it hit everyone at Wilkins Kennedy hard, so we wanted to do something to help. We chose Abbie’s Army as our charity of the year as a result, and we are delighted with the amazing total of £3,300 that has been raised. We know Ray and Mandy will put this to good use and hopefully our contribution will assist with the research into DIPG that is needed.” To show your support for Abbie’s Army, please text ARMY60 to 70070. www.abbiesarmy.co.uk www.wilkinskennedy.com