Creating connections this Befriending Week

This year Age UK Shropshire Telford & Wrekin joins organisations across the UK taking part in Befriending Week to raise awareness of befriending services and thank our volunteer befrienders and telephone buddies for all their hard work!

Age UK Shropshire Telford & Wrekin continues to face challenges due to the rise in the cost of living and an increasing demand for our services. Our befriending team has growing waiting lists and hopes Befriending Week will encourage more people to take up volunteer befriending.

We are particularly looking for people who can offer a couple of hours of their time between 9.00am-5.00pm during the working week, to visit or call an older person for a friendly chat.

Rachel Harris, Senior Coordinator of Friendship Services at Age UK Shropshire Telford & Wrekin, said: ‘Autumn and winter time can be bleak and lonely for some older people, especially if they are housebound and feel isolated. There are lots of volunteering opportunities across Telford and Shropshire and if you have the time to give a couple of hours a week to visit or ring an older person in your community, we would love to hear from you.’

‘Our volunteers come from all walks of life. They may be newly retired from the world of work, in part-time work and looking to do something positive in their community, or they might have experienced the feeling of loneliness themselves, been helped through it and now wish to give something back.’

Volunteering can be incredibly rewarding. We offer training, expenses and on-going support to ensure all our volunteers are confident and happy in their roles

If you'd like to help, please call Age UK Shropshire Telford & Wrekin’s volunteer recruitment team on 01743 233 123 for more information and an application pack or email them at volunteering@ageukstw.org.uk