Voluntary Action South Leicestershire

Community Champions empowers people over 60 who live alone in Harborough District, and enables them to make new local friendships. The project provides volunteers who can visit people at home for a weekly chat, or accompany people out to community venues. We also have Digital volunteers who can show older people how to use their smartphones or tablets to connect with people, research information or book doctor's appointments online. Other volunteers provide regular social contact through phone calls, letters or emails.
The project also organises free monthly Community Gatherings providing accessible transport for 25 people to make new friendships over tea and cakes at local cafes and golf clubs.
see https://vasl.org.uk/services/community-champions/

The Well-being Befriending service also organises telephone befrienders for people who want to improve their well-being - see https://vasl.org.uk/services/wellbeing-befriending-service/

Support for Carers Telephone Befriending also arranges for telephone befrienders to ring carers for emotional support - see https://www.supportforcarers.org/what-we-offer/telephone-befriending-service

Information for volunteers

We have volunteering opportunities for people who want to be:-

- home befrienders visiting people at home for about an hour/week for conversation
- volunteers who accompany older people out to local groups and events, helping them to develop local social networks
- digital volunteers - visiting older people at home to show them how they can use their mobile phone/tablets/computer to become digitally connected to people/information
- email or Pen pal volunteers who correspond with older people
- telephone pals who phone older people for regular social chats
- host volunteers to help host events

-telephone befrienders to support well-being and carers