Clifton Good Companions is a charity supporting isolated, vulnerable and lonely older people in the Clifton, Wilford and Silverdale areas of Nottingham.
We have been in operation for almost 20 years and now provide 4 drop-in friendship groups around Clifton each week plus we offer a home-visiting scheme, also run by volunteers, for our residents who are unable to easily leave their homes.
Activities offered to our group-attendees include trips out each season – in the summer 30 of us took a river cruise with afternoon tea on the Nottingham Princess, and we will shortly be taking a coach trip out to East Bridgford Garden Centre: this has been made possible by a very kind donation by the Wilford and Clifton Facebook Selling Page.
We run a pantomime excursion each year to Nottingham Playhouse and also have an annual Christmas party, open to all older residents of the Clifton, Wilford and Silverdale areas. Apart from myself, all supporters are volunteers and we have the fantastic support of local companies in terms of various donations.
As you can appreciate, volunteers are the life-blood of the work that Good Companions undertakes. So, our question to you is: do YOU have a few hours to spare each week to either support the work at one or more of our friendship groups, or to be a much-valued home-visitor? Activities that volunteers undertake include welcoming group visitors to one of our friendship and generally talking to and listening to people, serving drinks, supporting people in and out of taxis, assisting with games of bingo, helping to staff one-off events, or home-visiting for an hour or so each week as a befriender. Volunteers tell us that they enjoy their roles with us as it allows them to get out and meet new people, and to give support to others. You’ll need to be a ‘people person’ who is happy to both listen to people and share your own experiences.
Please phone Sarah on 07881 826224 or email Good Companions on info@goodcompanions.org. We can then send out an application pack; all of our volunteers go through an Enhanced DBS check (also known as a police check) prior to commencing duties.