A CHARITY dedicated to helping people who are elderly and often lonely is celebrating its 10th anniversary.

The Huddersfield Deanery Project began with a weekly Friday social meeting.

It has now developed into all kinds of different schemes designed to brighten people's lives and make them feel safer.

The Leeds Diocesan Social Action Committee started the project, later involving the Huddersfield Conference of the Society of the St Vincent de Paul and Catholic Care (Leeds Diocese).

Its £58,000-a-year running costs are paid for by the London-based St Joseph's Society For The Aged Poor, along with lottery cash.

The Huddersfield Deanery Project helps people across the town. Its headquarters are a former house - 92 Keldregate in Bradley - turned into an office.

The first scheme it set up was a weekly social meeting called Friday Friends. Just three people came to the first one.

Now 60 people attend every week at St Bernadette's Church Hall in Copthorne Gardens, Bradley, and 10 are on a waiting list to join.

Twenty-five volunteers help at Friday Friends, cooking lunch, making drinks, organising bingo and driving people to and from the church hall.

Project leader Joann Wareham said: "The Huddersfield Deanery Project is all about friendship. But we are also an essential information service for older people and can help them access other services they need.

"Our ethos is to reduce social and spiritual isolation for older people.

"We are a Christian project, but we serve people of every faith or none at all."

She added: "We do a lot of problem- solving, especially when people are trying to resolve problems with the council or large companies."

Office administrator Anne Thomson said: "Some of the people who attend Friday Friends have not spoken to anyone else for the week in between. The vast majority of people we help are single and their families have moved away.

"But it's amazing what they find out when they all get together. We have had people meet up who have not seen one another since they were at school together."

Over the last year it is estimated that 6,000 cups of tea have been served at the various groups run by Huddersfield Deanery Project, along with 3,000 meals served and 5,000 newsletters distributed.

The Project can refer people to Kirklees Social Services for help.

It has links to a wide range of services and organisations, including district nurses, Age Concern, Help The Aged, the Benefits Agency, the Pensioners' Service, Access buses, Victim Support and churches of all denominations .

* A party to celebrate the 10th birthday will be held from 10am to 3pm on Thursday at 92 Keldregate.

People are invited to pop in for a cuppa and a piece of birthday cake which has been given by the Asda supermarket.

Huddersfield Deanery Project can be contacted on 01484 300094.

HUDDERSFIELD Deanery Project schemes include:

* Bridge The Gap: An inter-generational group held at All Saints' High School, Bradley Bar. It gives the older and younger generations the chance to get together one afternoon a week. They also go on trips out. There is a plan to set up a similar scheme at Almondbury High School, so older people from Almondbury who want to take part are urged to come forward.

* Reading Friends: An offshoot of Friday Friends which goes into Bradley School to help children improve their reading.

* Safe And Secure Services: For £10 a year older people can buy six hours of work in their homes for odd jobs, such as changing light bulbs, fuses or tap washers, clearing or de-icing paths and replacing curtains. The service also includes a free security check on their homes and items such as window locks, chains and mortice locks can be fitted at cost price. This scheme is run with the Deighton-based Fresh Horizons Enterprise.

* Friendly Faces: Volunteers visit older people simply to chat to them.

* Winter Warmers: Bedding is available for older people.

* Kindness Fund: A small charitable fund set up to help older people who are in urgent need. One woman was helped after she was mugged and had her purse stolen, leaving her with no cash.

* Bereavement: Counselling, help, support and practical information for people at an exceptionally vulnerable time in their lives.