Community support group facing closure

The Biggleswade Good Neighbour group is one of 40 across the county that links volunteers to those needing help; whether that is picking up shopping, lifts to the doctor or just a friendly visit to help stave off loneliness.

But the group is facing imminent closure unless more people come forward to help man the telephone helpline.

The scheme is supported by Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity (BRCC).

BRCC’s Justine Hunt explained: “You don’t need any equipment – the phone and the list of approved volunteers is provided. It’s not an onerous task and you don’t need to be physically active yourself. In fact this role could suit a housebound person who’d like to talk to some fellow Biggleswade residents during the day.

“You’d answer the phone from the comfort of your own home but if you are more active you wouldn’t need to stay in all day. You can still pop out or carry on with your usual activities – you just need to be able to check the phone for messages every few hours and then call people back.”

If you could help contact Justine on 01234 832648.