OLDER people in Cleethorpes will continue to benefit from the care of a "vital" charity after securing a grant of more than £300,000.

Friendship at Home based at the Old Vicarage in Hart Street, Cleethorpes provides older people with social activities to combat the isolation and loneliness they so often feel.

Day trips, guest speakers, entertainment and of course a natter over tea and biscuits are just some of the activities members enjoy.

The local charity, which is described by volunteers as a life-line for the elderly, was founded in 2006 using funding from a legacy left to charity Help the Aged.

The legacy said the money had to be used to benefit older people in Grimsby and Cleethorpes.

But this year, funding started to dry up and the charity was threatened with closure.

Determined not to deprive the 85 members dependent on the charity's vital service, manager Julie Rigby applied for a grant from the National Lottery's Reaching Community Fund.

To her joy, Friendship at Home was awarded a windfall of £341,041 - enough to keep it going for a further five years.

Julie said: "We were conscious we were running out of time but we knew we were providing such a good service. We have become a life-line for people.

"So many members look forward to coming here. We have become such a vital service and we didn't want to lose it. We pulled out all the stops so to get that call was fantastic."

Read about how important Friendship at Home is to elderly Cleethorpes residents in today's Grimsby Telegraph.