Beverley Racecourse and Contact the Elderly unite to battle loneliness

Beverley Racecourse recently held a raceday tea party to help combat loneliness and isolation among older people in the local community.

The racecourse has partnered with long standing charity Contact the Elderly, which was founded in 1965 and is the only charity solely dedicated to tackling loneliness and social isolation among older people through face-to-face contact.

The tea party took place on the racecourse’s Lavender Lawn during Beverley’s latest raceday. 80 local elderly people and volunteers enjoyed an afternoon of tea, cake and conversation, to a backdrop of top-quality horseracing and family entertainment.

Kate McKee, Marketing Manager at Beverley Racecourse, said: “We are thrilled to form this partnership with Contact the Elderly.

“It’s such a worthwhile charity and does so much to tackle loneliness among older people by hosting monthly tea parties in the homes of volunteers. We saw an opportunity to work with Contact the Elderly to develop their concept and bring it to the racecourse.”

“We made sure our special guests had plenty of tea, cake and conversation. They had a really enjoyable day out.”

Jill Wood, Contact the Elderly’s Development Officer for Yorkshire, said: “We are so excited to partner up with Beverley Racecourse. It is so inspiring to see local institutions like the racecourse taking action to help the thousands of isolated older people in the community, and we hope others follow suit.”

A second tea party in partnership with Contact the Elderly will be held at Beverley Racecourse’s final raceday of the season, on Tuesday, September 25.

If you know someone aged 75 or over who lives alone and has little contact with family or friends who might benefit from a tea party, or would like more information, visit Contact the elderly