During this summer, our project Sandwell Together was delighted to celebrate passing its 400th referral, with referrals now standing at 407!
Throughout this year alone, the project has received 33 referrals from a wide range of sources, including social workers, support workers, therapeutic services, medical services and self- referrals.
Sandwell Together was set up at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic with an aim to support those who were lonely and isolated in the Sandwell Community. Now in the endemic stage, COVID-19 may be manageable within our population similar to other regular flus and common colds but isolation and loneliness remains very much present and an issue for many Sandwell residents. This primary reason influenced our charity’s decision to continue to provide this valuable service to the people of Sandwell.
Sandwell Together is open to all individuals in the Sandwell area. Most of the beneficiaries who join our project are over the age of 55, yet we also accept referrals from adults of any age. Anyone who feels lonely and isolated, or who would benefit from a friendly telephone chat with one of our volunteers is welcome.
The calls are not time limited, and we are still supporting three individuals who came to the charity during the very first week of the project opening, back in April 2020. The service is very flexible, and calls are made at times to suit both the volunteer and the telephone friend. Calls can be arranged during the daytime, evenings or weekends and are usually made on a weekly basis although they may be fortnightly or even monthly depending on the need of the telephone friend.
Volunteering for Sandwell Advocacy and the Sandwell Together project is both a valuable and rewarding experience to help and support people within our local community. The calls are made by one of our 29 volunteers (a number of whom have been with us since Sandwell Together’s inception). We are continually encouraging and enrolling new volunteers to work on behalf of our charity and we have been lucky enough to recruit severalvolunteers during this last year.
Finally, all of the calls made by our volunteers to beneficiaries are evaluated on a regular basis and recent feedback has been very positive with telephone friends sharing their comments as follows:
“I have a speech impediment and the calls make a real difference as I am very socially isolated. I feel very comfortable with my caller and really enjoy the calls”
“I feel that a friendship has developed over the years from the initial calls – they’ve been a real lifeline”
“I really enjoy the calls and feel that my caller is a friend. I have many health issues and I feel that the calls help me to forget my problems and get on more easily with life”
“My caller is a lovely lady and the calls are valuable as I live alone and have mobility issues”
“I have some hearing and speech problems following a stroke and my caller is a very kind lady. Her calls are very welcomed and help very much with the loneliness”
“I suffer with pain and the calls help to take my mind off this. I really enjoy the calls”
“I was very socially isolated, but the calls have made a real difference, and I now feel I have a friend I can talk to”
Are you living in Sandwell and feeling isolated or do you know someone who could benefit from telephone support through our Sandwell Together project? Or do you have some free time, and would you like to consider volunteering with Sandwell Advocacy? To find out more about the support we offer and the work we do, please visit the Sandwell Together project page.