Pandemic pen pal pledges 100 letters to old people in Sheffield

Kate Ibbeson, from Walkley, has set the monster writing target to raise money for Sheffield Churches Council for Community Care.

The charity is at the heart of the city’s effort to provide much-needed care to older people with little other means of support.

Kate also thinks SCCCC’s pen pal scheme is a vital way to stay in touch with older people during lockdown - some of whom had relied upon friendly visiting schemes which have had to be suspended.

Kate said: “I've been following the work of SCCCC for some time and when I saw the details about the Penpal Scheme at the start of the lockdown, I thought it was a fantastic idea.

“I've been writing letters for SCCCC to pass on to their isolated service users since then.

“I have always loved writing letters - and receiving them too! I very much appreciate the value of receiving a handwritten letter and during these difficult times I thought that it was a good way to send a few friendly words to someone who needed them.

“I write about a huge range of things, from what I've seen during a walk with my dog and what I've been baking, to protecting the seedlings in my garden from the pigeons.

“As the amount of letters I wrote mounted up, I thought it would be a great way to do some fundraising for SCCCC and support the great work of the charity. One hundred letters seems a substantial target, so I have pledged to write at least that many letters for the scheme.”

SCCCC launched the penpal service when the coronavirus forced its flagship Good Neighbour Scheme to be postponed.

With regular visits from its volunteers off the table, the charity asked people to write to its service users instead, to help reduce isolation and loneliness, and to boost their mood.

If anyone would like to write to an older person via SCCCC, they can be sent to Pen Pal Scheme, SCCCC, Unit 19 President Buildings, Savile Street East, S4 7UQ to be distributed.

So far Kate has raised more than £200 and hopes to double the funds. To sponsor her, visit bit.ly/3br3KnV