Silver Talk, Karbon's ‘friends on the phone’ service, is on the look out for new volunteers to support older residents who may at times find themselves feeling a little lonely.
Silver Talk offers users an up to 30-minute social telephone call each week with one of its fully trained volunteers. The service is designed to support residents over 50 who are feeling lonely and isolated stay connected
Jackie has been getting a weekly call from her Silver Talk volunteer, Ann, for the past couple of years.
Jackie shared: “It helps me a lot. Just having a chat with Ann really cheers me up when I’m by myself and not feeling great. I really look forward to my call each week.”
Jackie, who is 64 and lives in a Karbon bungalow in Northumberland, has lived with depression for a number of years and that combined with other health conditions means she struggles to get out and about as much as she would like.
“The calls massively help when I’m struggling with my depression. You can’t put a price on having someone to chat to and more importantly, to have someone there to listen.
“Whatever it is I want to talk about, Ann is there. Even when I just want to have a little moan about something, bless her she’ll just sit and listen, and she’s brilliant at always finding the positives. When I come off the phone with her I feel so much better.”
Joining the Marmalade Trust’s Loneliness Awareness Week campaign to help people who find themselves feeling lonely make new connections, Silver Talk is calling out for more volunteers like Ann, who have a few spare hours each week to provide a friendly voice and a listening ear, to get in touch.
Jackie added: “My sister, who died last year, would regularly be on the phone to me for a natter. I miss her and our chats, but Ann helps fill that gap for me.
“She’s very caring and down to earth. She’s one in a million really and I feel comfortable talking to her about anything. She makes me feel wanted and that makes a massive difference.”
Silver Talk recently secured a £10,000 grant from the National Lottery’s Awards for All, to help the service continue delivering telephone befriending to residents through the coming year.
Jackie concluded: “I would highly recommend others giving it a try, it’s been really worth it for me. I get a lot from it and feel very lucky to have been matched with Ann.
If you would be interested in finding out more about becoming a Silver talk volunteer, please contact Karbon by calling 0191 223 8662 or fill in the enquiry form on the website, www.karbonhomes.co.uk/volunteer
Silver Talk, Karbon's ‘friends on the phone’ service, is on the look out for new volunteers to support older residents who may at times find themselves feeling a little lonely.
Silver Talk offers users an up to 30-minute social telephone call each week with one of its fully trained volunteers. The service is designed to support residents over 50 who are feeling lonely and isolated stay connected
Jackie has been getting a weekly call from her Silver Talk volunteer, Ann, for the past couple of years.
Jackie shared: “It helps me a lot. Just having a chat with Ann really cheers me up when I’m by myself and not feeling great. I really look forward to my call each week.”
Jackie, who is 64 and lives in a Karbon bungalow in Northumberland, has lived with depression for a number of years and that combined with other health conditions means she struggles to get out and about as much as she would like.
“The calls massively help when I’m struggling with my depression. You can’t put a price on having someone to chat to and more importantly, to have someone there to listen.
“Whatever it is I want to talk about, Ann is there. Even when I just want to have a little moan about something, bless her she’ll just sit and listen, and she’s brilliant at always finding the positives. When I come off the phone with her I feel so much better.”
Joining the Marmalade Trust’s Loneliness Awareness Week campaign to help people who find themselves feeling lonely make new connections, Silver Talk is calling out for more volunteers like Ann, who have a few spare hours each week to provide a friendly voice and a listening ear, to get in touch.
Jackie added: “My sister, who died last year, would regularly be on the phone to me for a natter. I miss her and our chats, but Ann helps fill that gap for me.
“She’s very caring and down to earth. She’s one in a million really and I feel comfortable talking to her about anything. She makes me feel wanted and that makes a massive difference.”
Silver Talk recently secured a £10,000 grant from the National Lottery’s Awards for All, to help the service continue delivering telephone befriending to residents through the coming year.
Jackie concluded: “I would highly recommend others giving it a try, it’s been really worth it for me. I get a lot from it and feel very lucky to have been matched with Ann.
If you would be interested in finding out more about becoming a Silver talk volunteer, please contact Karbon by calling 0191 223 8662 or fill in the enquiry form on the website, www.karbonhomes.co.uk/volunteer
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