Sam used to work for Care Plus and when her circumstances changed, she didn’t want to lose touch with us. She now volunteers as a befriender, driven by a desire to reduce the loneliness experienced by some people. 

“My background is in paediatric nursing, so I have really enjoyed doing something completely different. I’m there to drop in for a friendly visit, may be to talk, play games, read and reminisce over a cup of tea, or even take a stroll.  

“A chat, some laughter, a cup of tea; they are little things but they can make a huge difference. So many people live alone and find it hard to meet people. Loneliness can have a big impact on our mental and physical health.   

“I’m really keen to be involved with supporting the engagement and volunteering coordinators to run a memory café in the retirement living community that I visit. This will be a friendly, inclusive event where people with dementia or other memory loss and their care-givers can get together to socialise and take part in activities, helping them to share memories and make new ones.”