Sheffield charity welcomes 70 new befriending volunteers after launch of The Star's Buddy Up campaign

The Star launched the ‘Buddy Up!’ campaign last week in the search for volunteers to spare up to an hour a week to phone someone who is lonely, vulnerable or isolated during the current pandemic.

Sheffield Churches Council for Community Care (SCCCC) said it has had 70 new sign-ups so far and hopes more will offer their time as the campaign continues.

It comes after the charity revealed it was experiencing a shortage of volunteers to conduct these vitals calls – with almost 100 people currently on their waiting list for telephone support as of last week but not enough buddies to help them.

Sharon Saunders, volunteer coordinator at SCCCC is the initial point of contact for people who want to volunteer, managing the sign-up process from start to finish.

She said: "We are overwhelmed with how many people have signed up so far. The feedback we are seeing from members of the public who want to give up their time to support our isolated and vulnerable older communities is heart-warming.

"As well as English speakers, we should not forget about those vulnerable older people who don't speak our language. People from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds often feel very isolated. We are always looking for volunteers with additional languages to provide telephone support for these communities.

"Our thanks goes out to everyone who has signed up so far. We are looking forward to welcoming others as the campaign continues."

If you wish to volunteer with SCCCC visit www.scccc.co.uk/volunteer.

The Star has launched a new Buddy Up! Campaign calling on more people to sign up as volunteers to help provide befriending services to isolated people. For more information on that, see our article here.

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 digital subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Nancy Fielder, editor.