Re-Engage East Lothian

Charity registered in Scotland SC039377

Re-engage is a charity that is positive about older age and committed to fighting loneliness so that people can have social lives and friendship groups however old they are. We inspire and enable meaningful connections and shared experiences within communities across the UK for people over 75 facing loneliness and social isolation.


Current opportunities

Tea party hosts provide a lifeline of friendship for our older people, and the regular, warm, friendly chats and companionship provide a vital link with the outside world from which they have become isolated. Tea parties provide a lifeline of friendship for our older people, and the regular, warm, friendly chats and companionship provide a vital link with the outside world from which they have become isolated. Re-engage needs enthusiastic volunteers to work as tea party hosts. This is a flexible, voluntary role that can easily be fitted in around your own lifestyle and availability. As a volunteer host you will run a local Re-engage tea party one to two times a year. You will host a group made up of volunteer drivers, the group coordinator and older guests in either your home or a community venue. The tea parties will last around two hours and will usually take place on a Sunday afternoon. You must be comfortable socialising with people and providing guests and other volunteers with refreshments. You will need one reference and to complete an ID check for this role.

As a tea party coordinator, you will ensure guests know when and where the next tea party will be held and who will be collecting them each month. Tea parties provide a lifeline of friendship for our older people, and the regular, warm, friendly chats and companionship provide a vital link with the outside world from which they have become isolated. As a tea party group coordinator, you will ensure older guests know when and where the next tea party will be held and who will be collecting them each month. This is an administrative role that requires planning and scheduling, you must be comfortable organising monthly events with volunteer hosts, socialising, communicating with people and resolving issues that might arise. Sometimes, tea party group coordinators are also drivers or hosts for their group, but this is not a requirement of being a coordinator. You will need a PVG for this role.

As a tea party driver, you will be responsible for picking up one or two older guests from their homes usually on a Sunday afternoon once a month. You will drive them to and from either a host's home or a community venue for an afternoon get-together to socialize  and enjoy refreshments. Tea parties provide a lifeline of friendship for our older people, and the regular, warm, friendly chats and companionship provide a vital link with the outside world from which they have become isolated. Drivers take older people to the parties and stay with them to enjoy the get-together. Over time, drivers and older guests get to know each other well and together you will spend many hours full of fun, laughter, and stories. As a tea party driver, you liaise with your group coordinator and take older guests to and from the tea parties each month. Staying at the tea party is part of your role, so it’s much more than being a driver. You will need to have a full, clean, driving license, and a PVG. You will also need to check that you are covered by your regular motor insurance policy to do this role.

Impact volunteers help us to evaluate our work so that we can understand the impact of our services. This can involve interviewing older people or asking them to complete questionnaires. Impact volunteers help us to evaluate our work so that we can understand the impact of our services. This can involve interviewing older people or asking them to complete questionnaires. The role asks you to give around two hours each week (or eight to 10 hours per month). You will spend most of your time surveying older people on the phone and gathering their responses, and there may be interviewing opportunities for those volunteers who would like to do so. This is a flexible and remote voluntary role that can be carried out from home. You will need one reference and to complete an ID check for this role.