Tea party coordinator, Dorothy Anderson, is hanging up her cake slice after an amazing 28 years of Re-engage social events in Clackmannanshire.

During that time, 80-year-old Dorothy has organised over 300 tea parties and made many friends. Her last gathering will be on December 10 at a special get together in Alloa.

“I’ve loved every minute of it,” said Dorothy. “It will be very hard to give up, but I haven’t been too well lately, and I thought perhaps now was a good time to stop.

“I’ve made some wonderful friends over the years. We’ve had great fun telling stories and having a sing. On occasions, I would do a 50-mile round trip taking our ladies through the beautiful countryside to get to a host’s home. There’s no doubt I will really miss all of that.”

Some years ago, Dorothy, who is older than many of her guests, won an award for being Re-engage’s best volunteer in Scotland.

Dorothy said: “I am very proud of that. I’ve volunteered all my life and will continue to do some telephone befriending. I’ve dedicated my life to volunteering and I count myself lucky to have done so. It’s been marvellous.”

Dorothy is keen for the Clackmannanshire group to continue and would like to see more hosts and drivers come forward.

She explained: “Our group is much smaller now, but it would be lovely if we could get a few more volunteers and guests. I think some older people have become a little wary about going out, but we would love them to go along. We just don’t want them to be lonely.”