Bolton Reach Family Project scheme combats elderly lonliness

Volunteers are matched to elderly members of the community under the befriending scheme launched  by The Reach Family Project in Bolton.

It focuses on building relationships within the community and has more than 150 volunteers.

The befriending project is a finalist in the national diversity awards taking place next month.

Although the befriending project was launched in 2019, the Reach Family Project became a charity in 2021 and was previously running as a community group.

(Image: Angela Barry)

The group was originally founded by CEO and befriending project manager, Angela Barry, after experiencing the death of her late grandfather, alongside co-founder Jean Barrass.

Funding comes from The National Lottery and Bolton's Fund among other contributors. 

Ms Barry said: “After losing my grandfather, I began to think about how lonely those who didn’t have anyone must feel.

“I came up with the idea for the charity and thought I’d just give it a go and see if there’s a need there and it turns out that the demand in Bolton was so high, we have a waiting list of people waiting to join now.

“The charity focuses on making sure that our elderly people aren’t feeling side-lined or as though they don’t matter. We want to create one big family.”

Elderly members of the community can be referenced to the Reach Family Project by their GP, social services or by reaching out to the charity directly.

A weekly meeting over dinner is held every Tuesday for pensioners in the area, with meals delivered once a week directly to those who are unable to leave the house.

Volunteers and elderly members of the community are matched based on interests and proximity to ensure that the befriending is convenient for all parties.

Volunteers go through a referencing process and require DBS checks before proceeding with the charity.

Angela said: “The criterion for our elderly is people who are over sixty-five years of age and feel isolated.

“The days are very long when no one’s visiting, some of them don’t have anyone at all, or they have children who have moved away and can’t visit often.

One of the ladies supported by the charity (Image: Angela Barry)

“Lots of them are still nervous to leave the house after the pandemic, so we do house visits with volunteers too.

“It’s great to see the volunteers grow so close with their buddy, I know one volunteer who ended up inviting theirs round to Christmas dinner to celebrate. People really do become part of the family.

“There was another gentleman who just wanted to go out for a pie and a pint once per week, we were able to match him to someone who could do that.

“It’s important to ensure that our elderly feel cared for and valued, a lot of them simply think that nobody cares and we want to change that.”

She added: “The charity is about neighbours looking after neighbours.

“If people would like to get involved, I would recommend getting in contact. Fostering these connections makes a real difference to real relationships in our communities.”