The charity says there are escalating numbers of lonely people

The Contact the Elderly organisation says people living in the urban areas of Devon and Cornwall are most likely to be lonely and far away from family and friends.

The charity has been running for 38 years and has 340 groups nationally.

It uses local churches, meals on wheels, social services and district nurses to identify lonely pensioners in an area and then organises tea parties for groups of about eight people once a month.

Within 20 years, the percentage of over 80s will have doubled Contact the Elderly

Despite the number of groups working with the charity, it said it still has a long way to go to cope with the escalating number of lonely, elderly people who are simply too frail to go out.

The charity said: "The problem is vast and increasing. Within 20 years, the percentage of over-80s will have doubled and loneliness increased proportionately."

Terry Gibson from the charity said loneliness can have a serious effect on people's lives.

He said: "People can become very introverted, they lose their social skills and they find that they become depressed.

"When they get depressed, they become more ill and they worry about themselves. It can be a vicious circle."

The charity is looking for volunteers in the South West who will host a tea party once or twice a year.

It said all people needed was a teapot, a big heart and a downstairs toilet.