A CHARITY that helps bring older people together celebrated two special birthdays last week.

Pembrokeshire Contact the Elderly (CTE) combined its third anniversary tea party with 70th birthday celebrations for one of its guests, Mari.

Supported by a network of volunteers, CTE organises monthly Sunday afternoon tea parties for small groups of older people 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.

"Our tea parties are a real lifeline of friendship for our older guests who have little or no contact with family or friends," said Sandy Davies, volunteer co-ordinator.

"They bring people of all ages together, develop fulfilling friendships and support networks, and give everyone involved something to look forward to each month."

Birthday girl Mari said: "I've found new friends at Contact the Elderly at a time in my life when I wasn’t expecting to make new friends!

"One of the volunteers, Jean, made this beautiful cake - I was very touched and grateful.

"I would recommend CTE to anyone who feels a bit lonely in old age - the Sunday teas with such lovely people really give you something to look forward to."

Hosts Gareth and Vanessa said: "We loved having everyone to tea at our home - we know how valuable a service CTE is and we are very happy to be able to help.

"One of the ladies who we hadn't met before asked if she could sit outside as she rarely gets any fresh air, living as she does in a flat.

"It was a pleasure to share our garden with her - it's so easy to make life a little better for the guests who join CTE."

If you have a few hours to spare once a month on a Sunday, or would like to join as a guest, please contact Sandy on 01437 711335 or send an email to pembscte@outlook.com,