The new social group, named Tea & Company is being organised by Royal Voluntary Service together with M&S colleagues. The next event will take place in the M&S Café in the Birmingham High Street store on Tuesday 21st August from 09.00 to 11.00. Attendees will have an opportunity to come each month to meet others in their community, make friends and find out about local volunteering opportunities and services. The event is free to attend and attendees can enjoy a £1 discount off hot drinks.

Tea & Company friendship groups are being trialed in seven locations across the UK, as part of M&S’s Plan A 2025 initiative to support communities and deliver positive, measurable change. The other locations hosting Tea & Company events are Middlesbrough, Bradford, Liverpool, Glasgow, Newham and Merthyr.

Lynn Hensman, commissioned services operations manager at Royal Voluntary Service said “Staying social and connected with our local community is an important driver for better health and wellbeing, particularly in later life. We are working with M&S to create this new group to help bring people together in Birmingham. We hope older residents will join us for what is set to be an informal and fun morning.”

Sarah Ford, Plan A Community Manager at M&S said: “We know that being part of and helping the local community really matters to our customers and colleagues. With a network of stores and cafes at the heart of so many towns and cities across the country, through our Plan A programme, we are ideally placed to help communities deal with challenges such as improving their wellbeing. We are delighted to be working with Royal Voluntary Service to deliver this new friendship group in the Birmingham store and our colleagues look forward to welcoming customers, old and new, to enjoy a chat and a cuppa.”

Royal Voluntary Service is one of Britain’s largest volunteering charities with over 20,000 volunteers supporting thousands of people each month in hospitals, at home and in the community. The focus is on building confidence, improving well-being and keeping loneliness at bay through an array of social activities and more structured support. The charity is also one of the largest retailers in the NHS, with its network of cafes and shops providing a valued haven in hospitals.