The Trust’s Befriender Safe and Well Service pairs volunteers with people aged 65 and over who live alone, offering regular companionship and support.
Sylvia, 80, from Bangor, said she was matched with her befriender Anne more than a year ago after spending two years on the service’s waiting list.
“I came to live in Bangor three years ago and didn’t really know that many people,” she said. “I had broken my ankle and was housebound for the first summer I was here, which knocked my confidence.”
She added: “We met at my home and from the moment she came in the door it was as if I had known her forever.”
Sylvia said the pair now meet weekly and share common interests, including history and animals.
“We meet once a week, we chat, we laugh. We both love history and we love animals,” she said.
“We just click and get on so well. Anne looks after me and I look after her. The Befriender Service is fantastic; it is a really big help for anybody who is on their own and there are plenty. The Service and Anne have totally changed my life.”
Anne, who volunteers with the service, said she joined after seeing information about the scheme while attending an appointment at Ards Hospital.
“I had had a brain tumour removed eight years ago and my husband had just died a couple of months before. I wasn’t on a bus route and I was isolated where we lived. I sold my house and moved to the town here in Bangor.
Carol, Anne and Sylvia
“I was going to Ards Hospital one day for an appointment and I was sitting waiting and noticed leaflets about the Befriender Volunteering Service – so I signed up, it was as simple as that.”
Anne described her connection with Sylvia as “magic”.
“Sylvia brightens me up and it is so lovely to come over to her home one day a week. You come here and you don’t want to leave again,” Anne added.
Volunteer Befriending Officer Carol Campbell said the service plays an important role in supporting older people across the Trust area.
“The Befriender Safe and Well Service is aimed at reducing social isolation for people aged 65 and over who live independently and alone within the Trust area,” she said.
Anne and Sylvia
News Catch Up – Wednesday 17 December
“We do have a waiting list and we are always recruiting befriender volunteers throughout the year.”
For those interested in the Volunteer Befriender role and who would like more information on the roles available can contact the Safe and Well office on 02897 566934 or email safeandwell@setrust.hscni.net