Ross Good Neighbours’ Phone Friends transitions to Age UK

The Ross Community Development Trust’s ‘Phone Friends’ service has transferred over to Ross Age UK after six months of helping residents in and around Ross-on-Wye.

At the start of lockdown in March, the Trust set up its Ross Good Neighbours ‘Phone Friends’ service with the aim of linking up people who felt lonely and cut off from their normal social activities, with a local resident who would keep in regular phone contact.

The project has been very well received and provided valuable community links for many people. With the easing of lockdown, many residents are now feeling more confident to go out and meet up with their usual social contacts again. At the same time, some of the Phone Friends volunteers are now finding that they don’t have as much time to help, now that they are back in work or have other commitments. Ross Good Neighbours is now transferring those residents who still want to receive contact via phone calls over to Ross Age UK, who are building up their ongoing ‘Companion Line’. All the relevant residents have now been contacted about this change, and the Phone Friends team is pleased to be collaborating with Ross Age UK in this way.

If you would like further information about Age UK’s ‘Companion Line’, please contact Laura Simnett who is the Volunteer Support Officer for Ross-on-Wye’s office of Age UK Herefordshire & Worcestershire. You can call Laura on 01989 567165 or 01989 763887 or drop her an email at lsimnett@ageukhw.org.uk. Additional information about Age UK can be found online at www.ageuk.org.uk.