The Christmas holidays have come and gone. You may feel like you have more free time but less money to go out and do things. Why not use this new year as a chance to bring joy to others in our community?
The Good Neighbours project from North Tyneside VODA seeks to assist any resident of North Tyneside who is over the age of 18 and unable to complete tasks themselves due to age, health, disability or for any other underlying reason and they have no one else who they can call on for help.
Good Neighbours is looking for people who can help with tasks such as:
- Grocery shopping
- Friendly home visits
- DIY and odd jobs
- Getting out and about
- Moving furniture
You choose when and how often, whether it is after work, over lunch once a fortnight, or even once a month. Just a couple hours each month can make a big difference for someone.
Helping others is a great way to make friends, learn new skills and feel more connected to your local community. Giving back will also help your sense of well-being. People are keen to volunteer at Christmas, but now is the most important time of the year to help given the cold weather and the low mood people can experience in January.
Meet Lynne
Lynne started shopping for residents at the start of the pandemic because she wanted to do something to help housebound people. Here’s how she sums up her experience:
“Volunteering supports the community in many and varied ways. For example, although I visit someone simply to collect a shopping list and deliver, it’s also an opportunity to chat and make a connection, which has wider implications. It is essential to the community.
“Volunteering has been a win-win for me; as much as I give, I get back from a sense of worth by helping others who need it. If I was to encourage someone to volunteer, I would say that there are volunteering roles out there for everyone and volunteers are needed with a wide range of skills and attributes.”
Raymond’s Story
Good Neighbours assists Raymond with shopping; during one of his weekly visits, Raymond mentioned he would love some help with the garden as it was too much for him to tackle. One of the Good Neighbours volunteers came to his rescue!
“That woman never stopped! She went out of her way to help, and it has done me the world of good. She really impressed me, and I can’t thank her enough. It is good to know that people want to do good for people like me. I’m not a well person so things like this mean a lot to me. I am exceptionally happy and thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
As spring approaches, Good Neighbours also needs helpers like you to carry out garden tidy-ups for residents across North Tyneside who can’t manage it themselves due to illness or mobility issues. You can do this by yourself or as part of our gardening team.
To learn more about how you can brighten someone’s day through volunteering, contact the Good Neighbours team at 0191 323 2040 or email Emma.Bradwell@voda.org.uk. You can find out more about Good Neighbours and the other work we do at North Tyneside VODA by visiting our Good Neighbours webpage.
