Oxford United in the Community and Oxford United teamed up to deliver a surprise treat for one of the guests from the OUitC virtual coffee mornings this week, delivered as part of a campaign to help combat loneliness.

United player and Club Captain John Mousinho and former players Scott Shearer and  Jamie Mackie were surprise guests on one of the virtual sessions this week.

The special virtual chat with the players, can be enjoyed by you all on this video of the session on Oxford United in the Community’s YouTube channel where you will see the reaction of lifelong Oxford United supporter and attendee of the OUitC Virtual coffee mornings Carol Mankelow.

The virtual coffee morning chats are hosted by members of the Oxford United in the Community team. They are for the over 70s and take place on Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays between 11am and 12pm on Zoom.

It forms part of the charity’s on-going activities to help reduce loneliness in our community. It is being delivered in partnership with the EFL Trust and DCMS via a national ‘Let’s Tackle Loneliness Together’ campaign.

Chris Lowes, Head of Oxford United in the Community, said: “Our campaign is really taking shape now and we are seeing some positive impact through our engagement. Loneliness is a serious issue, particularly during the winter and the pandemic and so we are using technology to help improve engagement for the older generation. Our thanks go to the players for joining us during one of the sessions this week, it helped provide a massive boost to the guests and our delivery team.”

Alex Blane, Lead Coach & “Tackling Loneliness Together” project lead for Oxford United in the Community added: “The virtual Coffee mornings are open for anyone aged over 70 and are a nice way for people to get together for a chat and some company, where we discuss a whole range of topics not just football. It was fantastic to have the extra virtual chat with surprise special guests this week and to see the look on Carol’s face when they appeared.”

To find out more about Oxford United in the Community’s virtual coffee mornings and how you can get involved please email Alex Blane via: [email protected]