UNITED Utilities is encouraging people in Cumbria to extend a little Winter Wise warmth towards isolated older people as temperatures start to fall.

The water company is urging people to support Contact the Elderly, a national charity tackling isolation among older people by organising regular Sunday afternoon tea parties.

Contact the Elderly is recruiting volunteers and seeking guests in an attempt to set up its first group in Cumbria.

United Utilities has donated £3,000 in DIY store vouchers to the charity to help Contact the Elderly guests buy pipe lagging materials to prepare their homes for winter.

The partnership is part of the United Utilities Winter Wise campaign to spread practical advice on preventing a burst frozen pipe.