2015/16 has seen the TeaBooks project come of age. Started as a pilot in 2011, five years on it has exceeded its target 20 groups, reaching 21 groups in July 2016. These are spread across Oxfordshire, and in the last twelve months have provided 1455 contact hours of sociable, stimulating interaction for older adults, two-thirds of whom are over eighty, and many of whom cope with illness or disability which affects their day-to-day to life.
The evidence that social interaction is vital for good health ' both mental and physical 'is well established. What was new this year was a study which suggested that reading for 30 minutes a day can extend your life expectancy by almost two years. Combining books with friendship is at the heart of what TeaBooks does best.
