It makes such a difference to me knowing I’ve got that bit of support. Little things like help with the shopping or hand writing Christmas cards are important to me,” says 85-year-old Eileen, who has lived on her own for 15 years.

She has found comfort through regular contact with the Oxfordshire hub of national charity WRVS, and will spend Christmas Day with them. “Most of all I enjoy getting out and about being with my friends at WRVS and without them I could well be left staring at four walls.”

WRVS runs services across Oxfordshire giving older people the opportunity and choice to live the life they want with the support of volunteers.

Liz Reed, of WRVS’s community hub at the Cornhill Centre and Café in Banbury, said: “As everyone is different, our support is tailor-made to each person’s individual needs.

“It can include practical support at home, transport in the community, home library service and befriending.

“We also run some lunch and social clubs, and a variety of events and activities.”

Cornhill Cafe is open to the public six days a week serving freshly-cooked lunches and snacks at very reasonable prices, which raises vital funds to support their services. They can also deliver group meals outside of the centre.

Christmas is one of WRVS’s busiest times of year, and their community hub becomes a hive of activity.

The centre is open on Christmas Day with volunteers providing local transport and serving older people a three course festive feast (advance booking essential).

“We have several parties and Christmas events for older people and our social clubs and volunteers across Oxfordshire provide a vital connection, at a time of year when for some, isolation becomes even more evident,” continues Liz.

“We see a rise in people coming forward to volunteer at Christmas, but we want to improve the lives of older people every day, all year round. We want to do so much more across Oxfordshire and we’d love to hear from you if you might benefit from our services or are considering volunteering. We have a huge range of opportunities available; our roles are flexible and offer many benefits.”

See what the group gets up to on facebook.com/WRVSCornhillCentre or email liz.reed@wrvs.org.uk or telephone 01295 264214 for more information.

  •  If you want to contribute to this column contact Sarah Beer at Oxfordshire Community and Voluntary Action (OCVA) by email at voluntaryvoice@ocva.org.uk