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Silver Talk achieves County Durham Volunteering Kite mark

Silver Talk, our free telephone befriending service has been awarded the County Durham Volunteering Kite mark.

Silver Talk gives people aged 50+ the opportunity to connect for regular, social telephone chats. They get a call from fully trained volunteers for an up to 30-minute chat at the same time each week. 

Achievement of the County Durham Volunteering Kite mark demonstrates that Silver Talk meets standards to overcome barriers to volunteering and recognises the value of recruiting and retaining volunteers, as set out by Durham Community Action.

The Kite Mark shows an organisation manages a volunteering programme where volunteers receive a high quality, positive volunteering experience. It will help volunteers to make informed choices when they apply to volunteer, and they can be reassured that Silver Talk have the correct policies and processes in place to offer a rewarding and positive experience. 

Charlotte Linton, Volunteering Specialist at Durham Community Action said ”Durham Community Action were delighted to present Silver Talk with the County Durham Volunteer Kite Mark award. Volunteers from Silver Talk played an active role in giving their views as part of the Kite Mark assessment process. They also felt very valued in the voluntary work that they undertook and can see the impact that their roles have on the community. This shines through in the passionate way they talk about Silver Talk and the great work that it does.”

One volunteer shared their own experiences:

“Silver Talk Coordinator, Christine never just assumes that you know, everything is detailed. Staff are always there to support us, either on the phone or with an email”.

Silver Talk Coordinator, Christine Fletcher said “We're thrilled to have been awarded the County Durham Volunteering Kite mark. Silver Talk would not be possible without our wonderful volunteers. The time they give, whether it’s 30 minutes or a couple of hours a week, makes a huge difference to our service users. 

‘The Kite mark is a fantastic seal of approval and we hope it encourages even more people to volunteer for Silver Talk and show why it matters to natter.”

If you are interested in volunteering with Silver Talk we would like to hear from you. Whatever your interests, skills or circumstances if you have the time, talent and enthusiasm, we need your help.

Silver Talk volunteers work from home with access to full support from the Silver Talk team during office hours and opportunities to meet other Silver Talk volunteers at training and social activities.

Volunteers can be provided with a basic mobile phone to make Silver Talk calls, or, if you have your own smartphone you make calls via our Silver Talk App.

You can sign up by visiting www.karbonhomes.co.uk/silvertalk or calling 0191 223 8662.

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