When Re-engage volunteer Clarissa hosts a tea party, a gift from a close friend - full of poignant memories - takes pride of place on the table.

A silver tea service was left to Clarissa by Paula, a guest she drove to the social occasions in Richmond for many years. In her will, Paula bequeathed eight knives, forks, teaspoons, a teapot, a milk jug, and a sugar bowl to Clarissa as a thank you for the support she had received from Re-engage volunteers; and the thoughtful gift is always the guest of honour when Clarissa, who is in her 80s, hosts the Twickenham 87 group every August.

Clarissa - who has been volunteering for Re-engage for an incredible 50 years - explained: “Paula was a Jewish refugee who came to England from Vienna in 1938 when she was in her late 20s. The tea set was a wedding present which she brought with her.

“She started a catering company in north London specialising in weddings and then later on she joined the tea party group. I used to drive her and we got on very well. Every time I get the tea set out it reminds me of her so it’s a very special set. I think it’s important we remember people by the gifts they leave.”

Paula also left Clarissa a very important personal document - her passport, featuring stamps from the era. Clarissa is considering donating the wartime paperwork to  a museum, such is its historical significance.

Clarissa joined Re-engage in 1975 after helping a flatmate whose car had broken down, meaning she was struggling to carry out her volunteer driver duties. She continued: “That’s how I found out about the tea parties and I thought they were such a good idea. In the early days I lived in west London and we would drive all over the place, to Blackheath, and St Albans - once we even went to Dover!

“I would drive from my home in Fulham, pick up the guests in Paddington and then go somewhere like Beaconsfield, miles away. But it was easier in those days because there wasn’t so much traffic.”

Clarissa stopped driving some time ago and now hosts a Re-engage tea party once a year with her husband Michael, who offers ‘very valuable support.’

She added: “I started the charity newsletter, which was a small pamphlet published a few times a year, and did a sponsored walk which involved (TV personality) Giles Brandreth. We did all kinds of things.

“I’ve met some fascinating and wonderful people through the tea parties and I always believe that the volunteers get just as much out of them as the guests.”

Re-engage CEO Jenny Willott said: "Everyone at Re-engage would like to say a huge thank you to Clarissa for a remarkable half century of volunteering - she clearly made an impression on Paula, and I think I can safely say that many dozens of lives have been touched by her kindness and dedication to helping others connect and make friends."