Could you befriend someone lonely in North Lancashire?

Wednesday, 30 March 2022 13:27

Community Support Befrienders are needed across North Lancashire, and you can get involved.

As the long winter months draw to a close, the presence of spring will soon be in full bloom. However, this can still be a very lonely time for many vulnerable or isolated people, especially when they have been parted from friends and family. Yet there are hundreds of people across Lancashire that are affected by this daily, with Lancashire Volunteer Partnership (LVP) becoming a lifeline to many during the pandemic.

Lancashire Volunteer Partnership is the one-stop-shop for public service volunteering in Lancashire and was formed to support local services, tackle vulnerability, and assist in times of crisis.

In February 2020, LVP was faced with the challenge of continuing to support vulnerable people, whilst following social distancing and ensuring the wellbeing of their volunteers. In April 2020, they decided to introduce a telephone befriending service, so that volunteers could safely continue supporting isolated and lonely people across Lancashire.

So far, LVP have supported over 1,600 people during the Coronavirus pandemic, however there are still hundreds of people across Lancashire who need support. Many people have needed support with their mental wellbeing during this time, so having someone to talk to once a week can be the difference between someone suffering in silence or feeling supported and socially active.

Joanne Latham – Lancashire Volunteer Partnership Manager said: "We can't praise our volunteers enough and are so grateful for their continued support. While life has started to look more normal again for many of us, we are maintaining our telephone befriending service for those who need it.

‘’However, we are also now seeking volunteers for face-to-face befriending again. This could be simply joining someone for a cuppa and a chat or accompanying them on a short walk locally. These volunteer roles are so uplifting and make a big difference to someone’s life, so it's wonderful that face-to-face befriending can now safely take place again with the health and wellbeing of our volunteers and service users remaining the utmost importance to us.”

To provide a flexible approach to Community Support Befriending services going forward, LVP's volunteers can choose to do telephone befriending, face to face visits, or a combination of both dependent upon their preferences or circumstances.

LVP want to attract more volunteers across Lancashire, so if you or someone that you know would like to become a Community Support Befriender, get in touch – there's no time like the present and your generosity will never go unnoticed!

If you would like to volunteer, visit their website