Thousands of elderly Londoners face a less than festive Christmas

It will be a lonely Christmas this year for Violet Newland.

The 85-year-old from Bromley is preparing to spend her first ever Christmas Eve alone, after her two closest friends died last year.

She’s one of an estimated 342,000 elderly people who will be without friends and family during the festive period, according to the latest figures from Age UK.

While Violet does have some remaining family, she says she hardly ever hears from them:

“I’ve got cousins, but they don’t keep in touch. There isn’t anybody that I could call my next of kin.”

“I live in this flat and I don’t know anybody, I don’t know anybody. Nobody rings my bell.”

This year she’s at least got a Christmas lunch to look forward to, she’ll spend a few hours at the Abbeyfield charity in Bromley, before returning to her empty home.

Abbeyfield is just one of the charities working to help provide the elderly with some company over the Christmas period, along with Age UK and Friends of the Elderly.

To help make it possible they desperately need more volunteers, by giving up just a few hours of your time, you could really make someone’s Christmas.