A SOCIAL group for bereaved spouses is helping to tackle isolation and loneliness among the elderly in Dorset.

Nearly three million pensioners across the country say they feel they have no one to go to for help and support, according to a recent survey conducted by the national charity Age UK.

In a bid to provide companionship for widows and widowers, funeral director Steven Tapper began organising social lunches to bring people together back in 2011.

Four years on and the group, which meets monthly, has become a lifeline for scores of elderly people across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.

Mr Tapper, of Tapper Funeral Service, said: “We realised that in any area with a reasonable population there will be people who live within a very short distance of each other, people who have not met each other before, facing the same problems after being widowed.

“People can find their new life very daunting. They are mostly retired and have time on their hands. They desire to get on with their lives but they don’t the company to do that.

“We thought maybe we could bring these people together.”

Up to 100 people attend the group’s monthly meetings which are held at different locations across the conurbation.

Mr Tapper said: “A lot of people who come along are clearly struggling. You can see how difficult it is for them.

“For some people it is the first time, even a couple of months after they have been bereaved, that they have left the house on their own.

“But after a short period of time they are chatting with other people in the same situation. They share memories, they laugh together and they cry together.

“We know there are groups that get together and they go on day trips. When we see them exchanging numbers that's very rewarding.”

The lunches are free to attend and are funded by the funeral service.

Mr Tapper said: "They have kept our business going for 111 years. It’s our way of giving a little something back. There are no rules. Anyone who has been bereaved is invited to attend."

To find out more about the group call Tapper Funeral Service on 01202 673 164.