Friends ‘Like’ These?

According to Facebook, the average person has 338 friends, which should mean our diaries are too crammed full of parties and coffee dates to ever contemplate being lonely.

However, we aren’t quite the socialites our profile pages would have us believe. In fact, despite the perceived connectivity that technology brings, we are actually becoming more isolated. Around 1 million older people in the UK regularly go an entire a month without speaking to someone and almost a quarter of disabled people say they often feel lonely. Not a pretty picture.

Our vision at the Volunteer Hub is a better life for the people of Buckinghamshire, and that means putting an end to loneliness and the physical and mental issues it creates. But where do we even begin?

It starts with people like Linda from Aylesbury, who contacted us in the hope of volunteering to help an elderly person with their shopping and offering a lift in her car. After chatting to Linda, it turns out that her love of people made her the perfect match for Carol, a woman affected by disability. Linda and Carol get together for an hour every week and go to the gardening centre for a coffee and stroll – a simple experience with life-changing potential.

‘I work part time but have spare time on Fridays and wanted to do something fulfilling. The whole experience has been so positive. I really enjoy seeing Carol and how much she looks forward to it. I would definitely consider her to be a real friend.’

So, if your social network is in need of some real-life connection and you would like to volunteer to help someone in your community as a friend like Linda or taking your neighbour shopping; why not give us a call to find you a match?

For more information about volunteering, call the Volunteer Hub on 0300 1111 250 or email info@communityimpactbucks.org.uk

The Volunteer Hub actively recruits volunteers for charities and groups in Buckinghamshire who support older and vulnerable adults as part of Buckinghamshire’s County Council’s Prevention Matters programme.