Imagine you are unable to leave your home unaided because of a disability. Then imagine your relatives and friends live a long way off and you see no one to talk to all day long apart from a quick visit by a carer or meals on wheels. How lonely and isolated would you feel? This is the situation for many hundreds of people living in Fareham today.
Local Community Group, Fareham Good Neighbours, aims to alleviate the loneliness of people who live alone and have no family or friends nearby who are able to visit them. This is achieved by their volunteers agreeing to visit them on a regular basis to chat, provide company, listen and, when appropriate, be a friendly person to help through difficulties. Such difficulties are typically: understanding correspondence, dealing with tricky situations or assisting with suggestions on where to seek help.
Vicky used to worked and volunteered for a similar organisation in a different area. Now being in Fareham, she registered and secured a voluntary position as a Befriender with Fareham Good Neighbours to help reduce loneliness in her local community. Here’s more about her experience:
Why did you decide you wanted to volunteer?
“Wanted to give something back to my community and help others.”
Was there a lot of choice of volunteer roles or did you have a specific idea in mind?
“I was looking for either assisting with the elderly or homeless and found a befriending service.”
Was it easy to apply, what did you have to do?
“Yes easy to apply online, filled out a few forms and someone got in contact. I found Volunteer First easy and helpful.”
What advice would you give other people who think they may want to volunteer?
“Its extremely rewarding!”