Volunteers plea (From Basingstoke Gazette)

Volunteers plea

9:00am Saturday 7th April 2012 in Local By Helen Morton

A CHARITY is seeking to recruit dozens of volunteers to act as good neighbours within their community.

Basingstoke NeighbourCare is hoping to nearly double its number of volunteers, who help the elderly and vulnerable in the local area by acting as drivers and ‘befrienders’ for those who are isolated.

Currently, the charity has 59 volunteer drivers and 24 befrienders working to support a total of 640 clients in the borough.

Through their new initiative, which is being funded by The Big Lottery Fund, the charity hopes to recruit 70 new volunteers.

A grant of £8,773 will cover the cost of recruiting and training the volunteers to meet the growing demand for the charity’s services.

Colin Hunsley, chairman of Basingstoke NeighbourCare, based in The Orchard, White Hart Lane, said: “This is an important initiative to recruit people to help those in genuine need in Basingstoke and the surrounding area.

“Our volunteers devote anything from an hour a week to a couple of hours a day to help our clients, and any new recruits will make a real difference to the lives of people they will help.”

By increasing the number of volunteers, the charity hopes to help a further 150 people as well as increasing the service to those it already supports.

NeighbourCare volunteers assist a wide range of people, many of whom are elderly or infirm. They help clients to do things they struggle with themselves, including providing transport to medical appointments, trips to loved ones, taking them to the library or helping with the shopping.

Befrienders visit the lonely and isolated, assisting them, reading to them and sometimes simply providing them with some much-needed company.

To find out more, contact the charity on 01256 423855 or email volunteering@neighbourcare.com.