THE Legal and General Homes team have given a cheque to help a new befriending initiative, which supports elderly people who may feel isolated in Bracknell.

The team visited the Bracknell Courthouse to deliver the £1,000 cheque to the Involve Community charity.

The donation will go towards the ‘more than just a cup of tea’ initiative, which is a befriending scheme for isolated and elderly people. The scheme provides a social contact and a sense of belonging and currently has over 100 volunteers who visit elderly people.

Philip Cook, general manager at Involve Community, said: “Thanks to the recognition and support from Legal & General Homes, Involve is able to continue to support hundreds of older, isolated people in the Bracknell Forest community through its befriending scheme.

"The financial support received enables Involve to continue to recruit, train and match volunteers with people in the area that are lonely or isolated.”

Philip believes that the service provides much more than just a cup of tea.

He added: “Befriending delivers more than just a cup of tea and a chat. It helps people get out, get connected, live independently and stay safe in their own homes.

“This donation will go towards ensuring this scheme continues strongly into the future and makes a real difference locally – thanks to all at Legal & General Homes.”

The donation was part of Legal and General Homes’ quarterly grant scheme, which allows visitors at its Buckler’s Park development to vote for one of three local charities.

The charity with the highest number of votes receives the largest share of a £2,000 fund. The scheme launched in July 2018 and so far a total of £6,000 has been donated to nine charities.

John Allan, homes managing director at Legal and General, said: “Our grant scheme enables us to listen to the community and support the causes they care about most.

“This quarter they chose Involve Community who do some incredibly important and really diverse work. We’re so pleased that our donation will help to support local elderly people and help connect them with this great area.”

The other two charities supported were the Ark Trust’s Project 73, which supports adults with high-functioning autism and Youthline a counselling service.

The Crowthorne Foodbank, Sebastian’s Action Trust, Berkshire Women’s Aid, and Home Start were all given a total of 155 Easter eggs.