Elderly people are being offered a well deserved free break-away to the South Downs in February.

The trip to Bracklesham Bay is being organised by the charity NBFA Assisting the Elderly, whose president is Baroness Betty Boothroyd, the former speaker of the House of Commons.

The five-day trip from February 17 to 21 includes accommodation, breakfast and dinner, nightly entertainment and daily excursions, as well as coach travel to and from the South Downs.

The coaches will pick-up from Swindon, Andover, Marlborough, Reading, Wokingham, and Bracknell.

NBFA was set up more than 55 years ago to help reduce isolation and loneliness, and increase the independence of older people in the UK and the breaks-away have proven very popular with participants.

One said last year: “I am like a snail that has come out of its shell and for that, NBFA, I cannot thank you enough.”

It is known that up to 800,000 people in England are chronically lonely. NBFA Assisting the Elderly’s break-away service gives elderly people an opportunity to meet people from their local communities. To qualify for the free break-away people must be aged 65 or over, on a low income, and able to get on and off a coach and to look after themselves.

Anyone interested can call NBFA Assisting the Elderly for an application form on 020 7828 0200. Please call as soon as possible as places are limited.

For further information please visit www.nbfa.org.uk