A lifeline for beating loneliness
How one amazing group in Frome are making friends and tackling isolation in their community
You’ve got a friend. That’s perhaps one of the most touching sentences we can ever hear, especially if you’re living alone or feeling isolated later in life. But these are the words that one heartwarming volunteering project, Active and In Touch Frome, are helping spread far and wide with their work matching lonely people in the community with volunteer befrienders. By supporting people who may be new to the area, have been bereaved or caring for a partner or who just have lost confidence in trying new things on their own, the volunteers at Active and In Touch are there to make a difference and help people find a new lease of life. By taking the time to chat, listen and learn about each other, these befrienders can direct people to services and groups they could really benefit from. “All of our volunteers are fully trained and at the first meeting they chat to their friend about their needs, interests and circumstances to work out how to best help them,” says Active and In Touch Project Coordinator Lucia Chadwick. “When I started as a volunteer, I began by taking an elderly gentleman who had just moved to the area to a local lunch club – something he wouldn’t have felt comfortable doing alone. Here he met lots of new friends and now, just a few months on, he’s happy just going to the club on his own.
“We also had one very anxious lady who needed to build up her confidence and by taking her along to different activities with the support of a befriender, she’s now much less anxious and even comes along to an activity group on her own now. It’s not a complicated idea but we simply extend the hand of friendship to those in need, knowing this can really change lives.” Because they rely entirely on donations, Active and In Touch have
received a huge boost from local Co-op Members, who are helping them every time they shop. That’s because when members buy selected Co-op branded products and services, 1% of what they spend goes to a local cause in their community that they get to choose*. So just by buying a pint of milk or loaf of bread, Co-op Members in Frome are helping to to make a big difference to the lives of people near them.
■ There are more than 4,000 local causes across the UK currently being supported by Co-op Members. If you’re a Co-op
Member and haven’t selected a cause to support yet, it’s easy, just sign into your online Membership account. ■ If you’re not a member and would like to know more visit www.coop.co.uk/membership