BEFRIEND MOTHERWELL AND SUPPORT FOR ELDERLY PEOPLE

That this House recognises the growing problem of loneliness and isolation among elderly people which has been proven to have detrimental effects on mental health and life expectancy; commends the work of the volunteers at Befriend Motherwell who provide support, social spaces and activities to elderly members of the community to combat loneliness and isolation within the elderly community through one-to-one befriending, group work and telephone befriending; congratulates it on its recent award of £148,667 by the Big Lottery Fund which will allow it to continue to provide its invaluable service to users; and believes the work that it and similar organisations do make great contributions to the social inclusion of elderly people and directly tackles the effects of loneliness and social isolation.