Sheffield charity issues message in appeal for befrienders as part of The Star’s ‘Buddy Up!’ campaign

Sheffield Churches Council for Community Care (SCCCC) offers a number of services including ‘The Good Neighbour Scheme’ which works by pairing an older person with a ‘friendly visitor’ – a volunteer who will call for a chat on a regular basis – in an effort to combat loneliness and isolation.

The Star’s ‘Buddy Up!’ campaign is encouraging more people to get involved with schemes such as those run by SCCCC by sparing as little as an hour a week to help support older people within our communities.

In a video appeal, Sharon Saunders, volunteer coordinator at SCCCC, said: “Two of our schemes, the Friendly Visiting Scheme and the Telephone Support Scheme depend heavily on volunteers and that’s the reason for this video.

"The Telephone Support Service involves ringing people up on a regular basis to check they’re OK and the face-to-face visiting will be resuming when lockdown restrictions ease and that involves calling round someone’s home, having a cup of tea, having a chat and catching up with them.

"If you feel like you have an hour a week to spare and are interested in either of the roles, if you could email me at [email protected] and I will send you an application pack which involves an application form and there is some more information about both of the schemes.

"I look forward to hearing from you.”

In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Nancy Fielder, editor