Trevor Lyttleton

In 1965, Trevor Lyttleton encountered an elderly woman living near him in London without any friends or family nearby. Together with a group of friends, Trevor led a visit to Hampton Court, and the magic began from there, with people exchanging phone numbers, names, and addresses.

After the success of the first meet-up, Trevor decided to set-up further groups and from there Contact the Elderly was born. Now in his late 80s, Trevor campaigns to tackle loneliness in the elderly, which he sees as a national shame that must be addressed. He has helped countless older people find companionship and hope, thanks to his idea of connecting them with volunteers – even for something as simple as a cup of tea and slice of cake.

With the help of over £1 million in National Lottery funding, the 7,000 charity volunteers have been able to help 8,500 lonely and isolated older people with its simple formula of tea, cake and companionship.

Trevor Lyttleton said: “The National Lottery has enabled us to expand our monthly companionships with the elderly and outreach to new communities. We’ve been able to host even more Tea Parties and grow the volunteer base to enable us to tackle isolation among older people. As a result, everyone can be a game changer in their local community and make a huge difference to the lives of those around them – all you need is a warm heart, a warm welcome, a downstairs toilet, and a large teapot.”