EAST Sussex County Council’s Chairman paid tribute to the work of volunteers when he visited a charity dedicated to combatting loneliness and isolation.

Cllr Roy Galley visited Rotherfield St Martin on Tuesday, November 25, to find out how it has become a trusted friend to older people in Rotherfield and beyond.

With 249 members, the charity provides social clubs, craft activities, a weekly lunch club, exercise opportunities and companionship.

The team provides specialist dementia support, offers a volunteer repair service and helps in domestic crises such as water shortages and power cuts.

Volunteers also support the whole community with their ‘Feed it Back’ table of surplus food, some of which they grow in their own garden, and provide a vital volunteer driver scheme to take people to events and medical appointments.

Cllr Galley said: “Rotherfield St Martin is a vital part of the local community having started 21 years ago, and has continued to expand its services.  The staff and volunteers do an amazing job, and I would like to put on record my thanks for their sterling work.

“As people live longer and face more personal challenges, this is a model we will need to support and encourage across East Sussex.”

In recognition of its work, Rotherfield St Martin was awarded the Kings Award for Voluntary Service earlier in the year.

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