FOCUS: WEST DUNBAR TONSHIRE Autumn / Winter Edition 2019
Celebrating volunteers & the voluntary sector.
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Toe-to-Toe - a day in the life of the footcare service.
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Autumn Walking Keeping active.
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Cochno Stone Connecting communities through heritage.
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Trustees - the backbone of the sector.
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Befriend - be the difference.
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Photography by Daren Borzynski
Produced by WDCVS Winter Edition 2019 0141 941 0886 info@wdcvs.com www.wdcvs.com Scottish Charity No: SC032003
"I wasn't aware of the service until I saw a notice asking for volunteers, I thought it was a good opportunity to get involved and share my time - that was almost a year ago. Sylvia, Foorcare Volunteer
To e - t o -To e
a day in the life of the footcare service.
Toe-toToe Footcare is a toenail cutting service managed by WDCVS. Volunteers are key to the service; administering the appointment schedule, meeting and greeting visitors and of course, the footcarers themselves. We’re taking a look behind the scenes at how the service runs.
Sylvia is a volunteer footcarer, seeing Toeto-Toe clients on a Monday morning. “I have been involved in some voluntary fundraising and I support a number of charities, but there was just something about having the chance to do something that so directly benefitted people. My career has involved working as an NHS manager and I know the importance of voluntary services like this; and the huge positive impact they can have on local communities, families and individuals."
footcare service - we all really care about the people we meet and get to know. Frank and the staff are there for support whenever we need it, but it really feels like our service and I like that." Alongside her volunteering, Sylvia is employed but she welcomes the positive impact her time with the service brings to her week. "I am still working, so I can only manage one session a week. I chose Monday as my slot and I'm glad I did as it gives me a really positive start to my week. I get to meet lots of interesting people of all ages and backgrounds; all really value having a service like this that helps to look after them when they can't manage it themselves the way they once did. That's really rewarding."
Like all Toe-to-Toe footcarers, Sylvia received training for the role from partners in the NHSGGC podiatry service. She added, "After I contacted the service and met up with Frank (the service coordinator) he arranged for me to go through the personal foot care Would Sylvia recommend volunteering with training. It was really informative and helped the service - absolutely. raise awareness of conditions that can affect the feet, how to cut and file nails safely and "My advice to others would be, don't be an explanation of the importance of good afraid. There are so many people that value skin care and well-fitting footwear for people the service, we need more volunteers to help, using the service. I felt really supported and so please get involved. You can take things at able to start helping people; all the volunteers your own pace, everyone is there to help each involved in the service work really well as other. And remember, you will be helping a team. Megan volunteers alongside me, people to stay comfortable and mobile - that meeting and greeting people as they come has such a positive impact on lives." in which is a great help. It's that focus on the person that make this so much more than a
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Why is the footcare service needed? A review of the work of allied health professionals across the NHS saw a change in a number of roles and tasks. For podiatry services, that meant the end of personal foot care tasks.
Responding to this, the Toe-to-Toe Footcare service was born. Staffed by volunteers, trained and supported by NHSGGC podiatry professionals, and offers services to West Dunbartonshire residents four mornings per This helped to reduce waiting times for cases week. of active foot disease, but sadly left some people, with reduced mobility, without a basic toe-nail cutting and footcare service.
Receptionist, Megan Harrison provides a warm welcome to footcare clients when they first come in the door. She will process their new membership and talk with clients while they wait for their appointment. She can also advise and direct clients towards other local services that may benefit them. “You meet a lot of different and interesting people; some are happy, some are quiet. My role is to help them feel at ease – I love talking to people and having a laugh so it’s great for me. The waiting room can be quite a place sometime! I’ve been involved since the start of the service and it’s been so fulfilling to have helped plan out how it will run. I meet clients as they coming in and check off their paperwork. If they are new, I’ll issue them with a membership card. It’s a really simple process. It’s good to hear the positive feedback people give me about the service. For all the volunteers involved in running the service its rewarding to see we are appreciated and the difference we are making to people.”
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Megan, Reception Volunteer
“When I tell people I’m a footcare reception volunteer they do look a bit confused, but it’s a really interesting role to do.”
Where does my donation go? WDCVS don’t receive any funding to deliver Toe-to-Toe Footcare, so any donations go directly to keeping the service running. We reccomend a £10 donation per visit, this allows us to meet the costs of keeping the service running.
Rent, Bills & Furnishings Training & Expenses Nail Clippers & Materials Administration
Meechan attends toe-to-toe. Before “Although I don’t have any Tony he retitred, he was a well know Chiropodist real problems with my feet, in the Clydebank area. annoyingly, I can’t manage “I worked for myself, built up good relationwith my customers and was relatively the general maintenance ships successful. When my wife was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease I retired to look after her myself anymore, so I attend and my daughter who had a learning disabilthe Toe-to-Toe service.” ity; both have now sadly passed away. Tony Meechan, Client
Unfortunately, I can’t do work as a chiropodist anymore, even though I still get calls asking me! I struggle looking after my own feet now, I go to Toe-to-Toe and have been delighted with the service. I’m quite sure a lot of my old clients would benefit from Toe-to-Toe too. There are lots of people from Clydebank who will know me from my own chiropody days so they know the guy that’s recommending the service is doing so from 30 years’ personal experience. Now that the NHS no longer offers basic toenail care, you have to go private and you can pay a substantial fee, sometimes over £30. So, I’m very happy with giving a £10 donation at Toe-to-Toe and considering it’s every three months or so, it’s quite affordable.”
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Toe-to-Toe Footcare, in numbers...
320
Members attending Toe-to-toe.
800+
Appointments since lauch in 2017.
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Volunteers 4 Footcarer, 2 Admin, 1 Reception.
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Hours of volunteer time every single week!
1 Award winning Footcare service
Age Scotland: Patrick Brooks Award for Best Working Partnership 2018
‘I’ve never done anything like this role before, but the team are very supportive! They take the time to explain anything I need and I’ve picked it up quite easily.” Shirley Reilly, Administration Assistant
Shirley Reilly is a volunteer administration assistants, working behind the scenes to keep toe-to-toe running smoothly. “I heard a lot about the Toe-to-Toe service, so when a new administration opportunity came up I thought it would be good to get involved. I’ve been volunteering as a befriender for about 3 years now. I had some more time to give and to be honest getting involved in the paperwork side of things was something quite new to me and a bit of a challenge. But i’m really enjoying it. The service is very busy with over 300 regular clients. Every Monday I come into the office and update the register and the appointment schedule for the next week. We have developed quite a clever system that allow us to know when someones appointment is due - so I can contact them and get them booked in, if they haven’t phoned us already. Speaking regularly with clients I can see how much the service is appreciated and I really enjoy being a part of it.
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Autumn Walking Keeping active.
Did you know a 30 minute walk a day could keep the doctor away? Although many people think of walking as recreational and not really exercise, that daily walk can be hugely beneficial to your health - and its free to do! This autumn we want to encourage you to think about getting more active by sharing the experiences of local people. In the New Year, with support from Paths for All and NHSGGC, Daren Borzynski of WDCVS will begin a new role as local Walking for Health Co-ordinator. In this role, Daren will support a programme of networking, training and support to increase the number and range of walking activities across West Dunbartonshire. Focus caught up with Daren to ask him a little about the role and his hopes for 2020.
What sparked your interest in walking for health? “Walking for health has been a bit of a personal journey for me. A few years back I was feeling a bit sluggish and run down and like so many people I thought energy drinks would give me that daily energy boost I needed; unfortunately, that didn’t go to plan and after spending a night in hospital with a rapid heartbeat, I made the decision to look after myself in a better way and started to look for ways to get active for my physical, mental health… and some weight loss.” “I enjoyed cycling in the past, but now it felt a bit too uncomfortable and I was struggling to cycle as far as I could in the past. There was a lot of press at the time about walking for health so I decided to find out more and decide to train as a Paths for All Cascade Trainer for West Dunbartonshire. I wanted WDCVS to show an example, so persuaded my colleagues to take part in the Step Count Challenge 2014. On the first day, April 28th, I was close to 18 stone, but with the motivation of a little £5 pedometer, I took my first steps to walking being part of my daily routine … when the Challenge stopped, I didn’t! Walking for Health was a life changing experience for me; the loss of weight probably the most noticeable, but I also feel a lot fitter and happier for it. And I want to help others in West Dunbartonshire have the same journey.”
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Daren Borzynski, Walking for Health Coordinator.
Why is walking important for our communities? “Walking is probably the simplest way to get active and it’s free. Walking not only helps increase general wellbeing but, having the chance to meet other people and socialise while you’re doing it, can help reduce the isolation and loneliness which we know is in all of our communities. We are lucky here in West Dunbartonshire. We have local parks and green spaces to walk safely and comfortably in, but it’s important that we just take the opportunity to walk a bit more wherever we are. Over the last few years, I have set up a number of local walks in the area, some street based, and I can really see the difference getting involved has made to the people who come along. Working with colleagues at Clyde Shopmobility, we have included wheeling options too so the walks are open to everyone in the community who is interested.”
What do you plan to do as the local coordinator? “There’s a lot to do but I think the first thing I want to do is raise awareness of what is already going on across West Dunbartonshire; there are a number of different volunteer-led walks supported by various organisations. After that, I would like to work with a range of local groups to help them introduce walking into their activities. I can deliver Walk Leader training and give support for new walks until they are established; my hope is to see 40 new walk leaders in place across the area. Communication is really important, so I’ll also be introducing a Walk Friendly forum for people to come along and share ideas about how we can promote and support walking. It’s going to be a busy year! If you've been inspired and would like to get more involved in walking for health we want to hear from you. We can signpost you to local walks to get involved with or you may want to train to be a walk leader and help others get more active. Contact Daren at 0141 941 0886 or email info@wdcvs.com - we're happy to help.
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What keeps our walkers coming back when the weather turns cold? Angela – Walk Leader “I started with the walking group 18 months ago, I started coming on the walks and then decided to do the training to become a Walk Leader. I was looking for work at the time, I had a work coach and it was suggested that I do some volunteering again. They suggested that I should become a walk leader because I really enjoy walking and walk quite a bit in my own time outside of the group. As a walk leader I gain experience of leading a group and it helps me as much as it helps other on the walks. I enjoy the chats we have; it’s a great social thing too. The one-day training course was really helpful and the information was great. A lot of it was just common sense and easy to put into practice. If people enjoying walking and meeting others they should just go for it and become a Walk Leader. “
Jimmy “I joined the Clydebank Health & Social Walk around 3 years ago, and return regularly because I enjoy the exercise and the friendship I get from the other people on the walk. I really enjoy it mainly because of the others involved; they are nice and Angela is very supportive. As I’m getting older walking gets a bit harder for me, but the walking routes we do are good and I’ll continue coming every week. There should be a lot more people doing it!”
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Cochno Stone
Connecting communities through heritage.
What is the Cochno Stone? With dozens of grooved spirals, carved indentations, geometric shapes, and mysterious patterns of many kinds, the Cochno Stone, located in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, is considered to be amongst the finest examples of Bronze Age cup and ring carvings in Europe.
1887 on farmland near what is now the Faifley housing estate on the edge of Clydebank.
It is covered in more than 90 carved indentations, known as ‘cup and ring’ marks. The stone was buried in 1965 to protect it from damage but in 2015, was partially exposed for investigation by a team involving archaeoloThe stone, which measures 42ft by 26ft, was gists from the University of Glasgow. first discovered by the Rev James Harvey in
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Things are gaining new momentum with a “When Kenny programme of ongoing development We met up with Dr Kenny Brophy of the University of Glasgow and director of the project, at the site to find out more. “The programme of excavations here will run over the next few years and we will be digging around every bit of rock art to see if we can find anything that relates to prehistoric or modern use of the sites. Our team is mostly students from the University in training to excavate and this is their first outing, but also some other volunteers including local people like Gordon Morrison, who knows the area and the Rock Art like the back of his hand.” While the importance of the rocks is recognised, Kenny also notes that there is nowhere else in Scotland, where Rock Art is so close to where people live. “There is something very special and important about this ancient resource that people in Faifley should know about and can benefit from as well. These are the sorts of things that people will come and see and visit where they can find more information about them. We hope it will start to draw people here and we can work together to make this something big and potentially a tourist attraction.”
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“When Kenny uncovered the stone, my whole office went up to have a look. I was standing on it…it was mesmerising and looked amazing.” Clydebank MSP, Gil Paterson, has a keen interest in the project and has supported the developments from the earliest stages. “I was up around the Knowes area working on another project and a council official told me about the rings and cup markings, what he called the Celtic rings. I’m have an interest in archaeology and I know about these types of markings but I didn’t know that they existed up here. Following on from this I learned about Kenny’s project to uncover the Cochno Stone or to take at least a slice over the soil up “The benefit the community could get from a have a look. this development could be good in so many As the local MSP, Gil is keen to inform and ways; not just economically but perhaps more generate interest in the initiative, looking to importantly for local people to be a real part the potential for local jobs at the site in the of something that is happening within their own community.” future.
As the community and project teams come together an exciting new partnership has formed. Already, knowledge and pride in the stones is growing and local partnerships are being formed. As the digs have progressed, Kenny Brophy has looked to make active links with key community organisations. Kenny told us, “we have been working with Faifley Community Council over the last few years and have run a few events with them. We’ve also worked with the local schools and Knowes Housing Association; they’ve been advertising our events, excavations, open days and workshops through their magazine and other connections. It’s only by working with local organisations that we can actually
make things happen without them I would just be a University of Glasgow person coming in and no one would know who I was or why I’m here, and nobody would be interested.” The interest from local people has been encouraging, with over 100 visitors during the Auchnacraig Park excavations in June. Kenny added, “Our open days and public talks are always well attended. Local people have been out learning photogrammetry (a 3D scan) to record the rock art and how to excavate, so there are a lot of skills to learn during the volunteer days.”
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Volunteers have been helping un-earth the stone. Local resident and project volunteer Gordon Morrison tells us about why he got involved in the project.. “I’ve lived in Faifley most of my life. Most of my working life has been spent indoors so when I got fed up with office work, I wanted to work outdoors and in something I had a real passion for.
most of my life and missing so much; I’m starting to find out more now.
When they opened up the stone again, I went up to see it and went along to the meetings Professor Brophy organised in Skypoint. He explained they were 5000 years old and that really made me think that I’ve been living here
embrace the stones, it’s our local heritage!
It’s a phenomenal area and I feel really privileged to live here and walk on the landscape. I think it might be good as we progress to I’ve always known about the stones - I remem- have something protect it again, but also to ber playing on it when I was a kid, we played let people continue to visit and see it. marbles on it. The important thing is the local community
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I’m really ecstatic to be involved, to me this is what I should have been doing years ago, an archaeologist… Faifley’s answer to Indiana Jones, maybe!”
What’s in the Future for the Cochno Stone? Hopes are high for the site’s future but Kenny is realistic that development will take time. “There is a thought to have a visitor centre, it’s an ambitious dream but it might be possible a few years down the line. The most straightforward thing we can do is to make the rock art accessible and understandable to people locally, so that means clearing it up, making sure people can see it, make sense of it and that there’s information digitally available or maybe notice boards, something that people immediately understand what’s going on,
where at the moment most of its hidden or hard to find.” A second phase of development could see a walking trail to allow people to spend a couple of hours here rather than having to drive further afield. Local social landlord, Knowes Housing Association, welcomes this development as a way of helping improving the health and wellbeing of local residents as well as improving the social and economic benefits to the area.
“Having this natural resource on the doorstep of this local community is great and it can only encourage people to be more active and engage with the outdoors.” Senior Corporate Services Officer, Sandra Love told Focus. “It’s been shown that if people have a focus while out walking, such as viewing the rock art, they can have a better experience. At the moment it’s very underutilised, even during the school holidays you didn’t see any kids there or parents walking about.” All involved stress the need for investment in the project, identifying an early opportunity to fund signposting and pathways.
The association have also pledged their support by encouraging the involvement of the two local primary schools. Director Pierre de Fence added, “We really want to highlight the importance of the heritage in Faifley and are looking into funding to create an artwork about the stones to help the local kids learn more about the Cochno Stone.”
If you would like to know more about the project and how you can get involved, contact Sandra at Knowes Housing Association on 01389 877752.
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Trustees
the backbone of the sector. 4-8th November is Trustees Week 2019
Almost 2,500 local adults volunteer their time each week, working together to make important decisions about how local charity’s operate.
Many trustees get involved to give something back, but being a trustee is always a two-way process. While charities can benefit from the skills and experience trustees bring, the opportunity can also open up new opportuniTrustees’ Week (4-8 November) is the annual ties. Local estimates suggest that almost half showcase of the great work trustees do and of the 270 local charities have at least one we wanted to take the opportunity to hightrustee vacancy. light some local trustees and tell you how you can get involved and make a difference, too.
10 step guide to recruiting and retaining your trustees. 1
Compliance…
2 Know what you know…
Make sure you are meeting the requirements Regularly review the skills you need and the skills your trustees have, identify gaps early of your constitution at all times. and fill them.
3 Succession…
4 Diversity matters…
5 Recruiting trustees…
6 Stand out from the crowd…
7 Information is key…
8 Inducting trustees…
9 Annual Review…
10 Say thank you…
Trustees will regularly step down or retire, Try to ensure your trustees are representahave a plan to replace them. tive of the community, your users and your members! What process will you use? How will you shortlist? Will you have a shadow period. Prepare an information pack for anyone interested in becoming a trustee with you - include a role description, outline of the organisation and your key priorities.
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Think about who you want to attract and how best you can get their attention. New trustees should feel welcome and informed. Invite them along to meet everyone. Think about a full induction programme over a 3 month period to help them settle in.
Every body should review its own perfor- Whether its Volunteers week in June or mance once a year…helping you run better Trustees Week in November, always rememand making your trustees feel valued. ber to recognise the work trustees do.
Four West Dunbartonshire trustees to tell us a little about their role as charity board members. Suzanne Gillies: Vale of Leven Autism and Aspergers Forum I first got involved about 18 months ago. My son has autism so I was aware of the services on offer; to be honest we fell in love with the place. I hadn’t thought about getting involved as a trustee before but when I heard that they had gaps on the board I knew I really wanted to do more. There really isn’t anything like VOLAAF out there in the West of Scotland let alone West Dunbartonshire for children and families with autism. For me, being a trustee means making sure that everything you hope for and plan for falls into place and you get to see everyone else’s enjoyment from it. Over the summer, VOLAAF ran an eight-week holidays programme, with at least one trip every week. The work we put into it as a committee was challenging; the funding form was ridiculous but it was amazing to actually see the kids out there enjoying themselves and doing something they wouldn’t normally get to do. For me, that’s what it’s all about.
Collette Sibly: Haldane Youth Services I studied for an HNC in Working with Communities so I knew a little about being a trustee before I started getting involved. I have always had an interest in youth work so have been involved in a few projects in that line. I started as a Trustee with Haldane Youth Services when they were in a transitional period and I haven’t looked back. There can be a lot to get your head around in the early days but you get to make a real difference in your own community. I knew quite a lot about how group’s work before I started on the board, but I’ve also learned a lot and gained some new skills too. I enjoying seeing the growth in our young people over the years; some of them now have their own children too.
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Margaret Maceira: Clyde Shopmobility
I’ve been involved in third sector activity since my daughter started at playgroup 31 years ago. In the early days I had more committee member roles, but over the years I have been involved with a range of different organisations, also becoming a charity trustee. For me, being a trustee means that you can help ensure that the supports and services people need to live better, more fulfilled lives, and that aren’t provided by statutory services, can be put in place.
I’ve been involved with Clyde Shopmobility for the last 15 years, helping build it up from a steering group to the thriving service it is today. It’s been a challenge building it up, but rewarding at the same time. The Shopmobility board have been involved with developing policies, generating funding, making connections and employing staff – all essential parts of a strong charity. Why do I stay involved? Well, I like to see people living a full life, enjoying themselves and getting out and about; I can see Clyde Shopmobility has really been of benefit to so many people.
Emma Scott: Bankie Talk
I really got involved in Bankie Talk, Clydebank’s Talking Newspaper service because of my husband. He was a regular volunteer reader with Bankie Talk and I helped out occasionally as a reader as well. As a small volunteer-only charity, it was important that we had a strong committee and I was happy to be involved when I was elected on so me years ago. I am currently also the charity’s Minute Secretary; I quite enjoy the role but I’m not sure anyone else really wanted to do it! Volunteering as a trustee is really rewarding and I really enjoy it. As well as supporting a cause you care about, it’s a good opportunity to meet and work with new people. I’d recommend it to anyone.
If you are interested in finding out about how you can become a trustee, West Dunbartonshire CVS can help to connect you with a range of local opportunities. Alternatively, if you are an organisation and would like some support to review your trustee needs, get in touch.
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Befriend
be the difference.
1st-7th November is Befriending Week 2019
Frank Gow started as the first befriending service coordinator at WDCVS 11 years ago and has since set up a range of services, he still sees befriending as pivotal to the challenge of social isolation and loneliness as the impact of an ageing population increases.
Matching starts with taking time to get to know the befrienders well during the 5-week training process. Basic training covers topics including boundaries, confidentiality and values; all befrienders are also first aid trained and have been PVG-cleared.
“Not only are we ageing as a nation, but we are ageing with challenging long term health conditions. Loneliness and isolation is a recognised contributor to health problems, causing the same negative impact on the body as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Befriending brings real benefits to people’s lives, and is about communities supporting each other”
Equally important is having good relationships with the service’s range of referral partners, helping to make the matches run smoothly. Frank said, “Some people self-refer but most referrals come through local partners. It’s helpful to have that linkage so that we can talk through any fears the person may have or work together to resolve any issues early and Although West Dunbartonshire CVS operate together.” the service, it is a true co-production between There are no time limits in the service, leavthe organisation, its volunteer team and its ing it to both parties to decide how long the service users. Frank added, “Our role is to service will continue. make sure the groundwork is all in place. Also, the service is free to the person receivAdministration, disclosures, insurance and ing it, with any befriender expenses met by the like can be daunting for communities who WDCVS. Matching is only the start of the just want to help each other, so we absorb support offered by the service. Frank explains, all of that and let the volunteers do what truly matters – connecting and sharing time “Once the introductions are made, we arrange a suitable time and place to meet the followtogether.” ing week. After that, we contact both parties to see how it all went; if it went well, we’ll keep in touch for another 3 or 4 weeks and then we’ll meeting up with them individually. After that we tend to keep in touch on a monthly basis, although we are always there if there are any problems or concerns.”
Matching befrienders and befriendees with similar interests and personalities is a crucial part of the service.
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Frank Gow, Social Care lead. Responsible for the development of volunteer-led wellbeing services at West Dunbartonshire CVS.
One benefit of befriending is its ability to help identify early any changes, physically or mentally, which the person themselves may miss and which could reduce their quality of life.
“Telephone befriending is important for a number of reasons”, explains Frank. “It can be useful to support referred clients before we can organise a one-to-one match for them; offering the opportunity to start to build a social contact at the earliest opportunity. Also, some people just aren’t happy having people come to their home so telephone contact is perfect.”
“We are always here to help with any worries anyone has; sometimes The Be-More service focuses an additional level of support on harder to reach older we just provide some people at risk of slipping through the net of r e a s s u r a n c e , o t h e r other services and living with low confidence motivation. Befrienders engaging with times we can help link and this service receive a higher level of training and the person up with support to match the intensity of the role. Frank said, “ Our Be-More befrienders take the support they need. on a more focussed role, helping people to set some basic goals and supporting them to Without the befriend- meet them. This could be as easy as helping ing relationship, they someone leave the house to go to a local shop or as complicated as helping them move may never get the help into a more suitable house for their needs. It’s about taking small steps at a time but, in the they need”
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Although the befriending service has been a successful part of WDCVS for 11 years, there is no complacency. Recent developments have included an expansion of the telephone befriending option and a new National Lottery Community Fund supported service option, Be-More.
end, that’s how we all reach our targets in life isn’t it?”
A wider range of training and awareness sessions are made available to Be-More befrienders ranging from falls and sensory impairment awareness, to health walk leader training; provided either in-house by WDCVS, or in collaboration with local partners.
What does a befriending match look like? Betty and befriender Judy Taylor tell us about their experience. Judy:
Betty:
As a retired nurse I really appreciate the value of befriending services. I had experience of respite befriending in Glasgow but I was looking to get more involved in the local area. Befriending in this way was new to me, but I’m really enjoying it; we can go out, share the opportunity to do different things and importantly, I know it’s making a difference. If I can help somebody stay independent, that’s great. My husband was diagnosed with Dementia a few years ago. He was at home for a while, but had to move into care, which was tragic for us both. We have no children and this year will be our 60th wedding anniversary. It’s been difficult but he seems to have settled in well, so I knew that I had to look after myself too. I value being independent, but things do get more difficult. When the opportunity came up to join the service I said yes. Frank was charming, and linked me to Judy; we had a good chat and that’s how it all started.
Judy:
Betty:
We meet nearly every week; we have a chat, sometimes we’ll go out to the post office or down to Morrisons, coffee with millionaire’s shortbread is our guilty pleasure. can say truthfully, Judy is now a very special person in my life. The day she visits is a delight for me. I enjoy her company and support She doesn’t know this, but I count my blessings every week. I just hope other people can have an experience like this, it makes such a difference. I
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“Often, people would just like someone to sit down with, to share a cup of tea and a Care at Home provides personalised support to people living in the community; help with chat. We do what we getting up in the morning, getting dressed, can to help people taking medication and other activities of daily live the best lives they living we often take for-granted. can. That’s why we work closely with the befriending service.” No one service can help people live better, more active lives in their later years. Partnership working is key; and an important element of the befriending service is its linkages with the Health and Social Care Partnership, Care at Home service.
Social isolation can lead people to need services at an earlier stage than is best for them; inputs like befriending make a real actual difference, keeping people more active, confident and independent longer.
Lynne McKnight, Integrated Operations Manager with WDHSCP has responsibility for the Care at Home service. “As a service, we work closely with the WDCVS befriending service. We know some clients have no other daily contact than with a home-carer and unfortunately our time can be limited. Having befrienders who can take the time and trouble to contact clients either on the telephone or in person and showing a bit of concern, can make all the difference.”
The Care at Home service also oversees the 9 council-owned sheltered housing complexes delivering 24/7 support. Supervisors in the complexes perform a range of tasks – from helping residents change lightbulbs, reporting and handling repairs, delivering social activities through to extended personal care. Lynne added, “We have big variations in the complexes…some have 14 tenancies, others as part of multi storey flats have over 70 tenancies. We try to encourage everyone to live as independently as possible in the complexes, with the security of knowing a supervisor can be easily contacted. We also have the backup of the community alarm service.”
Over the last year, the number of referrals of telephone befriending support has also been increasing. Lynne said, “We really appreciate Although often time-pressured, Care at Home staff are dedicated to help meet the support the option of visits or telephone contact – not needs of clients, resulting in a high number of everyone likes to have people in their home, but they still value the human contact. befriending referrals each year. Lynne added,“I think the service is absolutely vital. It can give somebody a reason to get up in the morning knowing they will have someone to talk to or go out with that day. The motivation and stimulation befrienders offer is so good for our clients in so many ways.
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Befriend... be the difference! Befriending relies on the goodwill and commitment of volunteers. Our befrienders volunteer for a range of reasons and bring a mix of skills and interests to the service. But each share two common attributes - being a good listener and enjoying spending time with people. Below we share some insights from a few of our befrienders on why they got invovled. If you are interested in getting involved or finding out more Call WDCVS on 0141 941 0886 for an informal chat or to make an appointment to sign up.
Irene Campbell “I was a carer for my own mum for a number of years and when she passed away I decided to look into befriending as a way to give something back in my community. I’m retired and recently widowed so the service has helped me to stay active in something I really enjoy. The lady I visit is 97 years old and she is an amazing lady. It’s not about giving time, its more about sharing life and experiences. It’s definitely a worthwhile role to get involved with.”
Karen Blaney “I’ve been a self-employed hairdresser for around 30 years, so it goes without saying that I enjoy being around people. It was one of my clients who suggested volunteering for me and when I found out about befriending, it sounded just right for me. I don’t think we value the experience and contribution of older people enough; you learn so much from them… but they also keep you in place! Befriending is a fun, fulfilling and inspirational. I don’t even see it as volunteering now; it’s friends meeting once a week and equally enjoying the time.”
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All things West Dunbartonshire, a place to find and share!
All Things West Dunbartonshire A place to ďŹ nd and share!
events
volunteers
projects
things
Link Up West Dunbartonshire is a new online tool for promoting organisations, groups or projects that you are part of and will allow you to see what others in the community have to offer. Creating a profile will let you join or comment on projects and ideas, or add your own. You will also be able to add events, things, skills or spaces that you have or need. Link up is also a tool for finding local volunteering opportunities and promoting your skills as a volunteer! Sharing the things that we have and things we need can help make projects and ideas come to life; it also gives everyone the opportunity to find out about and get involved in all the great things that are happening here. You can join Link Up now and it’s all totally free! globe www.linkupwestdunbartonshire.org