There’s only one thing to take to a tea party, and that’s cake. Unfortunately, this Sunday I was running late and when I rang Helen’s doorbell I had a packet of biscuits in one hand and a baby adamant she could now walk, in the other

Not quite the Victoria Sponge and Sunday Best I had in mind. However, I was warmly greeted by Helen our tea party host, who had been up creating delicious cakes including lemon and poppy seed and homemade welsh cakes, since the morning. She told me that there was enough cake to feed an army, so not to worry on the absence of my sponge. The scent of home baking filled the homely and calm interior of Helen’s terraced house. 

We waddled into the living room, where I was introduced to my fellow guests. Tea was set out on a table cloth, tiered plates, miniature pink crackers and music singing from the stereo; an old waltz. I thought of Downton and the Bridge Club I’d make refreshments for in my childhood village as a young teen. A mixture of both; it was the tea served on china plates, but the banter of friends gathered after time passed. 

We can’t all be close to our older relatives, so it’s tea parties like this one, organised by national charity Contact the Elderly, that bring older people together and offer a real lifeline of friendship. It’s something for them to look forward to and creates a network of support. Offered for those aged 75 and over, each older person is collected from their home by a volunteer driver and taken to a volunteer host’s (like Helen) home for the afternoon. The hosts will change each month, but the drivers remain the same, so over the months and years they become companions.

“First thing you do in the morning is turn the telly on, last thing at night you turn it off. It’s company,” says Roger, a man with a twinkle in his eye and the brightest smile, wearing a colourful tie that his art loving daughter picked for him. “Best thing you could do, is ring on my doorbell. Come in for a cup of tea. I would love it,” he says to Helen. We discuss how he went to Church that morning and it was busy for Remembrance Sunday: “a special day,” he says, the constant smile departing for a moment. Helen tells him that she made the lemon and poppy seed with today in mind. He beams and blinks slowly in appreciation.

Unlike Roger, the tea party is the only outing that Marjorie, a retired nurse, will have this month. I sit with her and another older lady Hazel, and she becomes animated as we discuss houses, babies, heating and pensions. “You get 30 pence a week once you reach 80 years-old,” she laughs. “30 pence!” She tells me that she saw an advertisement in the newspaper about the tea parties and decided to get in contact. They’ve become the highlight on her month and she tells me of the glorious summer party they had. She has photos on her camera and reminds herself to get them printed. “It was wonderful,” she says.

I adore chatting to these ladies, they are vibrant and love to laugh and tut. The bad joke in the cracker, the fact that Marjorie has “lost Google,” on her tablet. The amount that Zygmunt, a very quiet man but with a lovely rolling voice, eats. “A whole pizza – and it was so hot! Sometimes he will leave with a tray of extra food, won’t you Zygmunt?” says Roger.

Gemma Wright – one of the group’s organisers – was inspired to volunteer by her late grandmother who lived alone and was unable to leave the house unassisted. She lived a significant distance away from Gemma, and as a result she couldn’t visit her as much as she would have liked. But her grandmother was very lucky in that she had many friends and family visit her, “otherwise she would have gone days without human contact,” says Gemma. “The thought of her being lonely upset me and I wanted to do something for lonely older people in Bristol who might not have friends and family nearby.” This group has only been running for one year, but Gemma has already noticed a significant change in the guests. “They have become more relaxed and chatty, forming friendships with each other,” says Gemma. 

The upcoming Christmas party will be hosted by Gemma and one of the drivers, Amy Roberts. Santa will be in attendance, along with an elf – Gemma’s niece – and presents for each of the guests, as a result of Amy working at catering suppliers, Nisbets, who have been fundraising for CTE this year. They also have a group of young singers from the Thornbury area of Bristol to entertain the guests with festive music. When the party is mentioned at the table, all the guests “oooh” and their eyes widen with true excitement. 

To get involved with CTE, go to: www.contact-the-elderly.org.uk/become-a-volunteer