FRIENDS is a befriending service, managed by the Volunteer Centre, aimed at lonely and socially isolated people who are over 50 years old and live in Chesterfield and NE Derbyshire. Volunteers are recruited to befriend people on a ‘good neighbour basis’, and undertake informal training in listening skills, barriers to listening and personal boundaries.
The Volunteer Centre has identified a number of typical areas in which help is needed, and as a volunteer, you could find yourself: visiting and keeping someone company, sharing a leisure activity, driving and escorting to places such as shops, doctors, hospitals opticians.