VE Day care parcels handed out to fight loneliness

A Derbyshire charity is crafting VE Day care packages to help battle loneliness.

Susan Seal, a volunteer for New Leaf Derby, came up with the idea to provide a teatime treat for people who might be isolated and alone on 8 May, when the country marks 80 years since the end of World War Two.

The parcels will be delivered by a team of about 40 volunteers and contain a VE celebration plate, cup and serviette, alongside a teabag and Union Jack cupcake, and activities including a themed wordsearch and memories from a lady who was five when the conflict ended.

Ms Seal said: "Sometimes these special days double the feeling of inadequacy and loneliness."

New Leaf Derby works to improve the lives of vulnerable households referred to them with small gestures designed to make a big difference.

Help can range from putting up curtains and flat pack furniture, to arranging letters to be sent to people living alone, to decluttering people's homes.

Ms Seal said people were more used to reaching out over celebrations like Easter and Christmas, but one-off occasions like VE Day were equally as difficult for people on their own.

She said: "These small things have quite a large impact, particularly on people who live on their own.

"Our motto is, we try to make a house a home.

"With VE Day coming up, when other people are celebrating, they can have their own little party with something to eat, a nice cup of tea and lots of bits and pieces they can look at, to show somebody's thinking about them."

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