‘There is more loneliness than ever’: Befriending service in plea for volunteers
A plea has gone out for more volunteers to join Befriending Caithness amid concerns about an increase in loneliness in the aftermath of Covid.
Senior coordinator Elspeth Manson says there is “a huge need”, with a waiting list in operation.
The free service seeks to match volunteers to isolated adults aged 40 years and over who become befriendees. It is delivered by Wick-based Caithness Voluntary Group (CVG).
“Since January, we’ve had over 30 people come to us looking for a befriender,” Elspeth explained. “We have at the moment 49 befrienders and most of them see two people, so we’ve still got a following 30 people that are actually on the waiting list looking for a befriender.
“Our volunteers have been absolutely fantastic. They have stepped up to the mark by having two befriendees, which is amazing. But we still have a huge need.
“I think there is more loneliness now than possibly I’ve ever seen. Since Covid, I think people have kind of lost confidence a little bit. They just feel life maybe has moved on.
“One lady said to me, ‘Thank you so much for befriending because it stops me looking out on life – I can now come out into it.’
“It just needs a little bit of help and confidence to go out for a coffee or out for a walk, things like that, just starting again.”
Referrals are accepted from health professionals, voluntary organisations, families and friends as well as potential befriendees themselves.
“Sometimes we have self-referrals, which I think are the bravest of them all – to admit that you're a little bit lonely is quite a big thing,” Elspeth said.
The service has been running since 2011 and covers north Sutherland as well as Caithness.
Elspeth said: “We have a group in Armadale, that’s once a month, and we have a lunch group in Lyth Arts Centre that meets once a month as well. That’s getting bigger and bigger – we’ve got about 40 people who come along to that.
“The lunch group has kind of taken on a life of its own. It’s a real little community now, it is lovely.
“We were invited down to the Dunbeath and District Centre last week so there was music and food and they just had a wonderful time.”
Elspeth pointed out that the service is rewarding for the volunteers too, as it involves “meeting people and finding out about their lives”.
She said: “The volunteers love it. We have to remind them to take time off and have holidays. They are kind and caring people – they just get embedded into it and they get an awful lot out of it.
“I heard a lovely phrase last week I hadn’t heard in years: if you have time to put your elbows on the table with somebody and have a blether, that’s more than enough.”
Befriending Caithness can be found on Facebook and details about the service are on the CVG website.
The main funder is the Big Lottery Fund, with support also coming from local wind farms. A year ago it was awarded £66,827 from the Scottish Government’s Social Isolation and Loneliness Fund.
The team at Befriending Caithness would be keen to hear from anyone interested in volunteering. They can contact senior coordinator Elspeth Manson (elspeth@cvg.org.uk; 07592 493045), assistant coordinator Richard Thurling (richard@cvg.org.uk; 07592 493048) or administrator Kayleigh Sinclair (kayleigh@cvg.org.uk).
