Lonliness and isolation can be the worst part of living alone for older people.

Age Concern Wiltshire says that loneliness is the single greatest threat to the health of people living independently in their own homes.

Their answer is the Befriending Service, under which volunteers visit older people to talk and be company for them for at least one hour a week.

Lieselotte, or Lee, aged 80, who lives in a village in the Pewsey Vale, says she does not know what she would do if her weekly visits from befriender Amanda Marx, who lives in the next village, came to an end.

She said: “I used to work for the Army so I am used to having lots of people around. Being on my own is awful. Amanda is more than my friend. I rely on her. It upsets me when I can’t do something.

“I have always been used to coping with anything, but now my eyesight is letting me down it is very difficult.

“When things arrive in the post I don’t understand, it is very worrying, but I just have to ring Amanda and I know she will help me.”

Mrs Marx says she gains as much from the relationship. She said: “When I gave up work I wanted to do something hands-on, something that would make a difference to someone’s life.

“But Lee is much more than that to me. She has become like another member of my family.”

The two women often go off on excursions together, often combining shopping trips or medical appointments with days out.

Lee said: “When Amanda goes off on holiday I dread it, which is very selfish of me, but I do love her visits. I’m sure they keep me alive.”

The service is one of the Age Concern Wiltshire initiatives which will benefit from the Big 60 campaign.

Liddy Davidson, Age Concern Wiltshire’s director, said: “The service is absolutely essential to so many older people in the county as it brings the world into their homes.

“It is a real lifeline for them and there is strong evidence that feeling lonely and isolated affects people’s health.

"So often the befriender will discover a whole range of needs. Our volunteers are trained to look out for them."