A philanthropist who began setting up tea parties for lonely older people 60 years ago has been hailed as a 'game changer' for his decades of charitable work.
Hampstead philanthropist Trevor Lyttleton, 88, started a charity to help lonely older people in 1965 - starting with a day trip.
Six decades later, that charity - now called Re-engage - has helped "tens of thousands" of people across the UK and Trevor has been honoured by the National Lottery for a ‘game changer’ in his field.
Trevor, who lives in Hampstead Garden Suburb, organised that first outing when he was a lawyer in his 20s in 1965 after encountering a lonely older woman in London.
The charity was originally called Contact and the first tea party was actually a trip to Hampton Court with 12 volunteers taking a dozen older people out for the day.
“That first tea party was really the most important,” he said. “We realised we were onto something big when we saw how happy it made the older people.
“After meeting that first lonely lady I did some investigating and was absolutely shocked to discover just how many more there were in her situation. After that our mantra was. ‘Never let our older people down’.
“From that small beginning many more groups formed quite quickly and we must thank all the brilliant volunteers for that. By giving up just a little time they transform the lives of older people – and theirs as well.
“We are helping in the fight against loneliness but we are really only scratching the surface. There’s still more we must do by keeping our services going.”
The charity now has 9,000 volunteers who help run free tea parties, activity groups and telephone befriending services for around 7,000 older people aged 75 and over.
Trevor has been selected as one of 30 people who have ‘achieved amazing things across the UK in the past 30 years'.
The National Lottery is celebrating its own 30th anniversary and has given Re-engage more than £1 million.
It has also commissioned international artist Luis Gomez de Teran to paint Trevor's portrait, which is part of an installation with six others that will ‘float’ on the lake in St James’s Park until Monday (Sept 23).
Trevor added: “This is not an honour for me but for all our volunteers who make life happier for older people.”
Jenny Willott, CEO of Re-engage, said: “A simple act of kindness sixty years ago from Trevor and his close friends has resulted in tens of thousands of lonely older people throughout the UK getting support and companionship to help them through their darkest days.
“Trevor laid the foundations for an astonishing organisation that now has an army of volunteers following in his footsteps, giving their free time to ensure no one is ever too old to make friends.
“Being recognised by the National Lottery in this unique way is a deserving tribute to someone who has fought for so many years to highlight the exceptional qualities of older people and maintain their vital role in our communities.”
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