The Bisto Together Project has joined forces with national charity Contact the Elderly to help tackle loneliness among older people.
Loneliest day of the week
Bisto and Contact the Elderly surveyed 1,200 people in the UK over the age of 70 to explore the impact of regularly eating alone. According to Contact the Elderly, Sunday is the loneliest day of the week for one in seven older people.
As a result of this research, Bisto and Contact the Elderly have launched the Spare Chair campaign. It encourages those with an extra space around their dining table on a Sunday to invite an older person from their community to join them. For just a couple of hours of your time, you could make someone’s day. And of course, there’s nothing better than sharing some good food, great tales, and laughter around the table!
Most ‘uplifting’ experience
The campaign is supported by Countdown’s Rachel Riley who hopes people will sign up in their droves to volunteer to host an older person for lunch. Having experienced a Spare Chair Sunday for herself, Rachel believes it is one of the most ‘uplifting’ experiences she’s had this year. She said:
“It was the most uplifting experience to share a meal with an older person and chat away for a couple of hours.”
“The work that Contact the Elderly does makes a phenomenal difference. I was delighted to be invited by Bisto, as part of its Together Project, to help raise awareness of the serious issue of isolation among older people and the benefits that sharing a meal can have through its Spare Chair Sunday campaign.
“I’ve been lucky enough to see it for myself and speak to some of the older people the charity supports. It was the most uplifting experience to share a meal with an older person and chat away for a couple of hours.
“When you think of all the spare chairs there must be around the dinner table every Sunday, even if we fill a small percentage every week, it will really add up to make a huge difference.”
If you would like to sign up visit the Bisto Together Project website here.
