April marks an incredible achievement for Re-engage – we are 60! Later in the year, we’ll celebrate in style with gatherings in six regions where guests and volunteers will get together for tea parties. Final details have yet to be arranged, but we have earmarked Altrincham, Batley, Birmingham, Bristol, Croydon and Falkirk for these events, and we hope to have upwards of 50 older guests and volunteers at each one. We are also encouraging groups that cannot make these events to organise a celebration of their own.

This is a truly special year when we can all take pride in what Re-engage has achieved since it was started in 1965 by Trevor Lyttleton and his friends. Our remarkable volunteers have helped us support tens of thousands of lonely or isolated older people along the way, making their lives brighter by helping them re-engage with their community through our tea parties, activity groups and as Call Companions.

As we develop our services, latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) highlight why Re-engage's vital work will continue to be needed well into the future. During two decades from 2003 to 2023, the ONS’s figures found that the number of people aged 90 and over living in the UK rose by more than 50% to over 611,000. Experience tells us that most of these older people will be living alone and are likely to have health and mobility issues.

It's good news that people are living longer, with a record 16,140* centenarians in the UK, and Wales having the highest proportion, at 25 per 100,000. And although women make up 82% of the UK total, the men are catching up, increasing their numbers at a faster rate. (If I may be forgiven for expressing a little personal bias, as a proud Welsh person, I suspect there’s something in the Welsh air!)  Many of our tea party guests are in their 90s - take Fred, for example. Fred, who is 95, has lived alone for eight years. He told us the tea parties he attends have helped him make friends and have positively added to his life.

Part of the Re-engage ethos is to encourage younger generations to support and socialise with older people. Trevor Lyttleton was inspired to start the charity by his grandmother, Gertrude, who was “highly entertaining with a rapier wit,” and taught him that older people were more fun to be with than many people realise.

So, Global Intergenerational Week (April 24-30) gives us an opportunity to reflect on how generations can help each other. We have over 200 volunteers aged 18 to 30 who drive older people to our social events, host tea parties, and make regular calls to someone who is isolated. They tell us how much they learn from the experience and knowledge of the older people, who in turn love hearing about their younger companions' lives.

We welcome volunteers of all ages to apply to join us and help reduce loneliness in later life for people across the UK. If this is the year you volunteer, you’ll be given a very warm welcome by the Re-engage team and supported on your volunteering journey. Pop over to our website to find out more.

*Estimates of the very old, including centenarians, UK - Office for National Statistics