Dedicated Re-engage volunteers, Alan and Gill Wodzynski, have just celebrated nine years of running tea parties in Redditch, Worcestershire, and take a look back on how it all began.

Alan and Gill came to Re-engage – then known as Contact the Elderly – in 2016 after their parents died. They had been very close to them, often taking them on holidays, and so wanted to volunteer for a charity that helped older people. 

Their first tea party was in June that year, with eight guests. They managed to boost numbers by advertising in doctors’ surgeries, in parish magazines, and Facebook appeals, and a couple of years later, they had five groups with 50 older people and 60 volunteers. And with an impressive list of corporate contacts and clever use of local media, Alan and Gill made sure there was no shortage of entertainment and publicity for the groups. Alan explained: “When we listened to the guests reminiscing at the tea parties, we realised they missed other social activity. None of them had seen a beach in many, many years, so we decided to raise some funds and take them to Weston-super-Mare. Weston was a special place for many of them as they had been there with families and friends. It held good memories. 

“So, in September 2017 with a £1,000 donation from a local company, we found a coach company which was happy to give a 50 per cent discount to take 22 guests and 12 volunteers. We had exclusive use of the pier train taking us to Tiffany's restaurant for a pre-ordered lunch, then we explored the town. Our guests returned home tired, exhilarated, and with fresh, fond memories of Weston.”

By now the Redditch groups were motoring along. There was a day trip to Stratford-upon-Avon with a cruise along the river followed by afternoon tea in the 1940’s themed ‘Fourteas’ cafe? where uniformed staff served cakes and puddings. 

Alan and Gill were also making great use of their connections with local businesses donating cash or offering free hotel stays. They even managed to raise £4,000 from Tesco's blue token sdcheme - where shoppers nominate their favourite charity - after guests, volunteers, families, and friends had been encouraged to spread the word. Bromsgrove Ladies Circle also raised funds and Scout groups run by early volunteer Sallie Ann laid on an annual tea party. 

“For many of our older people the only company they would have at Christmas and New Year would be the TV or radio, so we organised a trip to a Cinderella panto with tickets paid by a local solicitor,” said Gill. “And an entertainment agency got one of their clients to perform a Fawlty Towers style lunch for us one time. None of the guests or volunteers realised what was going on until the grumpy waitress burst into song. The Spanish waiter also turned out to be a Cockney. It was a great occasion which everyone loved.” 

There were more Christmas and summer lunches and a memorable occasion where the 17-strong Wyre Forest Big Band performed and two guests with a combined age of 200 plus danced together. As well as raising an impressive £18,000 the Redditch groups have also achieved some high-profile media coverage with local BBC WM radio station organising a tea party and broadcasting the event live for two hours while its TV counterpart also filmed the event. 

Before the Covid pandemic, Alan and Gill took their five groups to the 12th century Coombe Abbey Hotel in Warwickshire for afternoon tea where vocalists the DD Darlings sang World War Two songs. And youngsters from three local schools hosted some events, preparing the food and providing accompanying music. Since the lockdown, the number of Redditch groups has dwindled to two, but the couple are still enthusiastic about running tea parties as well as promoting Re-engage and volunteering in general. 

In recent weeks, Alan appeared on ITV Central to talk about the benefits of tea parties while highlighting a new Royal Voluntary Service initiative which simplifies and streamlines the process for volunteers to sign up to support charities. 

“It’s been a great nine years,” said Alan. “We feel proud of the number of older people we have helped during that time, and we feel there are still more good times to come."