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Befriending Lewis and Harris exists so that people who are suffering from the impact of feelings of loneliness and isolation start to feel connected to other people in a positive way again Are you a interested in gardening and able to give some of your time to Lewis and Harris Befriending? This opportunity will include supporting befriendees to make their garden spaces more accessible and enjoyable.

At present the Connect Project is running as a Telephone/Online Befriending Service. Volunteers will live close to or in the Midlothian area itself. Volunteers provide company and conversation to help a person feel less isolated and part of their wider community. This role involves making contact via telephone or video conference with a person to whom you have been matched on an agreed regular pattern. Key aspects of the role are to provide company and emotional support through conversation and information about other support services as necessary. You will be expected to stay connected with Volunteer Midlothian and feedback any concerns that may need addressing. A little human contact and conversation, makes the world of difference to an isolated person.

Befriending aims to remove or lessen isolation that carers may experience as a result of their caring role. We welcome volunteer befrienders who ideally have an understanding of dementia and carer's needs, and are willing to spend time listening to, encouraging and supporting a carer. Befrienders support carers to become more engaged with the community, or simply have a break from caring for a little while. Some carers like to get out and about and attend activities of interest.

it would involve being matched with someone that is suitable , spending an hour a week on the phone with the Befriendee. Full training will be given

What will I be doing? Aberlour Sycamore Services offer a safe and loving place to live for children who have experienced abuse or trauma. As an Activity Buddy, you can play an active role in encouraging children to take part in activities, develop confidence and experience new opportunities. This can include in-house activities, day-trips and outings organised by staff. Activity Buddy Volunteers can bring a range of interests and a sense of fun to the service. The impact you can make Activity Buddy Volunteers can have a positive impact on children in the Sycamore Residential Services, by encouraging children to take part in activities and giving them opportunities to try something new. Taking part in an activity together can help a child to develop confidence, self-esteem and to form trusting relationships. Activity Buddy Volunteers can be a positive role model in the lives of children and young people. The benefits to you By volunteering as an Activity Buddy in our Sycamore Residential Services, you can gain valuable experience of working with children, learn more about supporting children in a group, and develop an awareness of the issues affecting them. Volunteers can gain a sense of satisfaction knowing they are helping others to develop new skills and achieve their potential, while developing their own confidence and having fun. Volunteers are valued members of Sycamore Residential teams. Activity Buddy Volunteers typically support either in-house activities, day-trips or outings once a fortnight.

At Safe Families, our Connect Friends volunteer with local families, supporting them remotely through phone and/or video calls and perhaps an occasional parcel drop to the family. Fully trained, they offer connection and friendship to those in need. Safe Families is offering an opportunity to volunteer as Connect Friends with us. We are a charity that seek to befriend families when they are struggling, support them through the support our volunteers can offer them, and strengthen them as a family long term. Connect Friend is a befriending role, keeping things remote within the confines of Covid-19 restrictions. Connect Friends will be fully trained and go through a full recruitment process in order to be able to befriend local families in their community via phone and/or video calls and perhaps offer regular parcel drops to the family they are involved with, only, no face to face befriending work. Whilst this opportunity has arisen during the lockdown, we envisage these roles remaining as a long term opportunity for volunteers if they find this a rewarding and positive way of volunteering with Safe Families.

If you have a heart for getting alongside families who are struggling within your community, then becoming a Family Friend with Safe Families may be just the opportunity you have been looking for. Being a Family Friend with Safe Families is a brilliant way to get to know families in your community who need a bit of extra support and encouragement. Safe Families works across all of West Lothian, is a UK wide Christian charity and seeks to provide early intervention to the lives of struggling families in order to reduce any statutory service input. We provide full training and support for all of our volunteers and give them the chance to get alongside local people, helping them to strengthen their family life by befriending them, supporting them to be less isolated and to perhaps help them through a time of crisis. Volunteering opportunities can be flexible around the needs of the family and the volunteer so that they suit both parties. Being a family friend involves spending time with a child and/or a parent on a regular basis, having fun and giving support.

Call Companions is a telephone befriending service providing regular chats to older people, often living on their own and with little social interaction. Our call companion coordinators oversee a small group of around six call companions and the older people they speak to on a regular basis. This is a flexible, homebased voluntary role that can easily be fitted in around your own lifestyle and availability. As the call companion coordinator, you will be the main point of contact for everyone in your group. You will regularly contact both the volunteers and the older people, making sure they have all the support and information they need to make or receive their regular calls and responding to any queries or concerns. You will keep the team at Re-engage updated and submit a monthly report. This is challenging but rewarding role that makes a big difference in the lives of people experiencing loneliness.

Blackwood Homes and Care was founded in 1972 by Dr Margaret Blackwood MBE, a campaigner for the rights and independence of disabled people. We deliver our vision of helping people live their life to the full in the pioneering spirit of Dr Blackwood by providing high quality housing, care and support for disabled people of all ages, with over 1500 homes across all 29 mainland local authorities in Scotland. Can you help our customers feel less isolated by supporting them to use technology to connect with the wider world? We are looking for people who are confident with basic IT skills and have the patience to share your skills with people who are new and uncertain when using technology. You also need to enjoy making casual conversation and building familiar relationships. Customers are perhaps unsure how to connect to the internet, charge their device, video call a friend or do shopping online. Helping someone make a video call for the first time to family they’ve not seen due to the pandemic really makes a difference to their quality of life along with their mood and mental wellbeing. At Blackwood we believe that using technology can significantly improve the lives of our customers. We provide care (in care homes), care at home services and tenancies to people with different support needs. Our customers have been offered a tablet which is set up with our innovative system CleverCogs. The role out of this is delivered by our Digital Skills Coaches but people continue to need support with basic IT issues to gain skills and confidence. Some customers don’t like to ask for more help, so knowing there is a wider network of buddies that can provide digital support will be very beneficial. This is where your time will be invaluable! Due to COVID-19 this role will start remotely, providing help over the phone or a video call. As restrictions ease, you will be able to visit customers in their home. Hopefully getting to meet some of the people you’ve helped remotely. What will you get from volunteering? • Supporting your local community to join the digital age and providing them with the autonomy to run their own lives online • The opportunity to be involved in key unforgettable digital-learning moments, such as their first video call with a much-missed family member • By providing a friendly face and conversation, you are helping to eradicate social isolation for many • Satisfaction that you’ve made a difference to the lives of Blackwood Customers. • Be involved in our innovative initiatives • Build on trouble-shooting and problem-solving skills • Awareness and knowledge of differing accessibility and communication needs, and how to meet those needs • Evidence of IT, communication and disability accessibility knowledge and skills for your CV • Induction to Blackwood • Training on the likely issues that you’ll help with to ensure you’re confident undertaking your role. • Support throughout your volunteering. Staff will be available should you need assistance and we’ll have a regular catch up.

Have you been Bereaved by Suicide? Do you have a desire to help other people who have also been Bereaved by Suicide? Are you comfortable listening to the experiences of others? You could be just the person we are looking for. We have self-help support groups across the UK, where you can meet with other people who have been bereaved by suicide and we want to enroll some new volunteers to set up a group in Aberdeen. Typically, our groups meet once a month and last for around 2 hours. Presently many groups are meeting virtually via Zoom but when regulations allow, they will return to Face to Face. They provide an opportunity to listen, to share, to ask questions and to connect with others. Each local SoBS group is run by a team of 3: the group leader and two group volunteers, all of whom have been bereaved by suicide themselves. Between them, they facilitate the session, get the conversation started, make sure everyone has the opportunity to talk if they want to, and generally look out for people and each other. The team also work together to manage the administration, fundraising and communication for the group, sometimes with the help of additional support volunteers. There is no set structure to a session – people are free to talk and listen as they wish. The topics discussed vary from week to week but often includes people sharing their story, how they are feeling, what has happened since their last group visit, questions about coroners and discussions about common challenges such as flashbacks, supporting children or facing neighbours. Many groups also offer a small resource library and can share information about local sources of support. For further details please contact Phill Abbiss, Volunteer Coordinator (North) at E Mail: phill.abbiss@uksobs.org or tel.: 07535 854 860.