A ROYAL Wootton Bassett grandmother has celebrated 40 years running an afternoon tea club which enriches the lives of the elderly.

Ann Godfrey first joined the club, run by charity organisation Contact The Elderly, in 1975, when her two children were only toddlers.

Four decades later the grandmother of four remains at the helm of the club, which provides free afternoon teas to elderly people at monthly social events.

A celebration event attended by the chief executive of Contact The Elderly was held in her honour at St Bartholomew’s Church hall in the town on Sunday.

Afternoon tea, with scones, jam and clotted cream, cucumber sandwiches and a commemorative cake decorated with a champagne bottle was on the menu, paying homage to the countless high teas Ann has helped serve over the years.

The event was attended by more than 40 people including friends, family and Contact The Elderly members.

“It definitely doesn’t feel like 40 years,” said Ann, who also helped set up the Swindon branch 10 years ago.

“It’s something I first saw an advertisement for in the paper and I just thought why not?

“I never thought I’d still be doing it 40 years later but I love the group and I love the work we do and that’s what keeps me here.”

Ann said her first intake in the 1970s included 10 full-time members. Numbers have soared to 60 now.

“There was a lady we used to see here who was very small,” she said, reminiscing on the how the group changed down the decades.

“When we went out for food she sat down and realised she needed a stool to reach the top of her knickerbocker glory. She took it in good humour though.”

Entertainment at the celebration was provided by saxophone quartet Quadurosaxi and the carnival princesses. Town crier Owen Collier announced the speeches.

Contact the Elderly’s chief executive Mary Rance, credited Ann with helping so many elderly people make new friends in the community.

She said: “Ann has done so much for her community and the services she has helped provide as well as the monthly hosts really are a lifeline to the people that come to the afternoon teas.

“To be celebrating her tenure as head of the Royal Wootton Bassett group is so special and an honour to be here with Ann today,”

Helen Carter, one of the hosts for the teas, has known Ann for 39 years and praised her devotion to the charity, “I just think Ann’s extraordinary,” she said. “To do the work she does so tirelessly and make it look so easy is a rare skill. It’s just incredible the way she’s keeps on top of everything. It truly is a lifeline for the people that come here.

“They make friends, they socialise and they enjoy visiting the host’s houses. They look forward to it all month because there is such a wonderful atmosphere.”

Contact The Elderly is supported by a network of volunteers who help organise the monthly afternoon teas for people aged 75 and over.

Each person is collected from their home by a driver and taken to a host’s home for afternoon tea.

For more information visit www.contact-the-elderly.org.uk.