The Woman's Royal Voluntary Service is seeking volunteers to make sure hundreds of elderly people in Bradford have a very happy Christmas this year.

The service needs people to help put up decorations, buy Christmas shopping or even just spend some time with some of city's elderly this Christmas.

While most of us tuck into our Christmas dinners surrounded by family and friends, many of Bradford's older people spend Christmas Day alone while hundreds more struggle with buying food or even writing out cards for the festive season.

WRVS volunteers provide help and services to thousands of elderly people across Bradford and deliver more than 92,000 meals-on-wheels each year in the city.

Julie Woodcock, project manager at the Bradford WRVS, said: "I currently have 62 volunteers and I estimate that we really need more than 150.

"Christmas can be a very lonely time of year for some people and we do our best to make a difference.

"Volunteers are needed to help provide simple services that the rest of us take for granted, such as shopping and wrapping gifts.

"Even just taking a few minutes to sit and talk with someone can make such a huge difference to their day. Our chief executive Mark Lever went to a house call last year and knocked on the wrong door by accident.

"When he apologised the lady who answered told him not to be sorry as she hadn't spoken to anyone that week and it was a Thursday.

"This kind of thing happens a lot more regularly then you would think."

Each year an estimated half a million older people in the country spend Christmas alone and more than a million admit to feeling very lonely during the festive season.

Also a quarter of the over-65s experience difficulties in walking and a further quarter have moderate to severe osteoarthritis in their hands, making it difficult for them to wrap presents or write out Christmas cards.

Over the next month the WRVS will hold a series of events to raise awareness of the work that they do in a bid to attract more volunteers to their ranks.

Mrs Woodcock said: "Any extra help we get would be terrific, not just for Christmas but for after Christmas. We are active 365 days a year and need help on all of them."

To volunteer to make somebody's Christmas easier telephone the Bradford WRVS on (01274) 722174.