A VINTAGE tea party brought the sounds of the past with good chat, food, tea and music to challenge loneliness.

On Thursday October 4 community group Silver Salisbury celebrated its Vintage Tea Party, an annual event run by the Salisbury City Council Communities Team.

Silver Salisbury is a small, community group that tackles loneliness and isolation by helping older people try new things, meet new people and make friends.

Irene Kohler wants to combat loneliness and isolation, which are among the biggest killers of older people (Image: Charles Elliman) The Journal spoke to Silver Salisbury Chair Irene Kohler, 82, who said: “It’s fantastic. I always feel a little worried because older people often don’t feel well on the day."

Irene was doing her rounds of the tables full of people eating sandwiches, drinking tea and listening to music, whilst pictures of mayors, past and present as well as a grand portrait of Queen Victoria joined them.

Irene asserted: “The purpose of Silver Salisbury is for people to enjoy social engagement. Loneliness is one of the biggest killers amongst older people."

Motioning towards the tables, she said: “I’ve seen people who have never been to the event before.

“I’ve been around the tables and its evident people are enjoying this afternoon.”

Rook Tiller-Collins (left) and Sarah Gregson (right) helped to run the Vintage Tea Party (Image: Charles Elliman) Music was a big part of the afternoon and people constantly stood up to request songs from the DJ, Silver Salisbury LGBT Outreach Worker Rook Tiller-Collins, 25.

Rook said: “I just like people hearing records they love. I do think that music is powerful.”

Perching by one of the tables, the Journal took the chance to talk with perhaps the most vintage man in town, Ronald Collins who will be 103 in two weeks’ time.

Ronald Collins is a veteran of the Second World War (Image: Charles Elliman) Ronald was about to leave for a talk he was to give at Salisbury library when the Journal bumped into him and the former-radar technician gave a taste of his storied life.

He chuckled about witnessing the birth of radar and innovations he saw invented that we take for granted today. He said: “Everybody’s kitchen now has a magneton and they were invented in 1942!”

Ronald is a veteran of the Second World War, seeing service in North Africa and he survived a stint as a POW in German hands.

He also saw the Berlin Airlift: when Britain, France and the USA supplied Berlin by air in 1948, after the Soviet Union cut off access to the western half of the city.

Design by Charles Elliman

The tea party would not have been possible without the Salisbury City Council Communities Team led by Head of Community Service Sarah Gregson.

Sarah said: “This is the third year I’ve been involved in the Vintage Tea Party and it’s a privilege to be a part of Silver Salisbury.”