Re-engage founder honoured

Our founder, Trevor Lyttleton, has been honoured by the National Lottery for being one of the most important ‘Game Changers’ in the last 30 years.

Trevor, 88, launched the first tea party group in 1965 after encountering a lonely older woman in London. Now, almost 60 years on, there are hundreds of tea parties meeting regularly throughout the UK with those aged 75 and over able to socialise and make friends.

The first tea party was actually a trip to Hampton Court with 12 volunteers taking a dozen older people out for the day. Re-engage now has nearly 9,000 volunteers supporting around 7,000 older people through social events and call befriending services.

Trevor has been selected as one of 30 people who have ‘achieved amazing things across the UK in the last 30 years.’

Trevor, who lives in Hampstead Garden Suburb, said: “This is not an honour for me but for all our volunteers who make life happier for older people.”

The National Lottery, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary, commissioned international artist Luis Gomez de Teran to paint the portrait, which is part of a large installation. Six other Game Changers are currently featured alongside Trevor, who still hosts tea parties.

“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.

“I decided to start something after I met a lonely older lady in Marylebone and discovered just how many more there were in her situation. It was absolutely shocking. 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.”

Our CEO, Jenny Willott, said:  “A simple act of kindness almost 60 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.”