A CHARITY is calling for people to visit lonely elderly people in Buckinghamshire to keep them company.

Age Concern is looking for volunteers in the area to give up a minimum of one hour a week to visit elderly people for a friendly chat.

Allan Radcliffe, South Bucks Befriending Coordinator, said: "There are a lot of not very healthy elderly people with families a long way away so they are just very lonely."

"It doesn't sound a lot but they really look forward to that hour. It can make their week.

"Cheering them up is all the role entails.

He said the visits can provide a vital lifeline to people who may not see their relatives very often, if at all.

Mr Radcliffe said: "Some of these people have no relations nearby so that makes the volunteer even more important to them and others have relations who don't even bother.

"It is just someone to talk to and is like gaining a new friend and something to break up their time.”

But he added that many volunteers found the experience very rewarding as well: “Some elderly people are charming and really lovely. It is a nice feeling to make somebody happy."

One of Age Concern's clients is 108-year-old Margaret Cooke, who lives on her own in Beaconsfield. She has made good friends with volunteer Sally-Ann Matthews who has been dropping in to see her once a week for the past few months.

There are 150 elderly people on Age Concern's books who live alone in Buckinghamshire.

To visit one of them, call Age Concern on 01296 431911.