Pledge your time to help isolated older people
Good Morning Britain's 1 Million Minutes campaign is now in its eighth year. And so far, 522 million minutes have been pledged to charities looking for volunteers to connect with lonely people.
We are proud to be a supporting charity of the campaign once again this year which runs throughout December.
Chronic loneliness among older people
Loneliness can affect anyone at any point in their lives. But it is particularly prevalent in older people. Nearly half of all people aged 75 or older live alone. And many can go a whole month without seeing or even speaking to anyone. Making them feel alone, anxious, and prone to withdraw over the darker and colder winter months.
What you can do
To play your part in helping to end loneliness, sign up to one of our volunteer pledges.
Your commitment can help give lonely older people companionship leading up to the festive period and beyond.
Your support has never been more needed.
"My call companion Helena was the only person I spoke to on Christmas Day. I'm always on my own, but particularly Christmas Day is hard, so that was really lovely of her."
Gail
Pledge your volunteering time
There are six ways you can volunteer with us
Be a crucial contact for all involved with monthly tea party groups for lonely older people and ensure their smooth running.
Pledge time: 180 minutes a week for a year or 9,360 minutes a year
As a tea party group coordinator, you will ensure older guests know when and where the next tea party will be held and who will be collecting them each month. This is an administrative role that requires planning and scheduling. You will be comfortable organising monthly events with volunteer hosts, socialising, communicating with people and resolving issues that might arise.
Requirements
Before you begin your role, you will need to complete some simple online training modules. You will also need a DBS (England and Wales) or PVG (Scotland) for this role. You must be over 18 to apply and we are looking for a volunteers who can commit to at least 12 months.
Help host a small group of older guests and volunteers at a lunch club in Crosby and connect with lonely older people to make a real and lasting difference to their lives.
Pledge time: 180 minutes a week for six months or 4,680 minutes a year
Our lunch clubs in Crosby provide a chance for our older people to come together, on a Wednesday, over lunch for regular companionship. They provide a vital link for many to the outside world.
Lunch club volunteers are essential to the smooth running of the lunch club. They support the lunch club group coordinator with welcoming the guests, setting up tables, serving food, kitchen safety, and preparing and cleaning up the venue.
Requirements
Before you begin your role, you will need one reference and to complete an ID check. You must be 18 or older to apply.
Help evaluate our work so that we can understand the impact of our services. This can involve interviewing older people or asking them to complete questionnaires.
Pledge time: 60 minutes a week for a year or 3,120 minutes a year
Impact volunteers help us measure the effectiveness of our services by interviewing older people or asking them to complete questionnaires.
As an impact volunteer, you will spend most of your time interviewing or surveying older people on the phone, gathering and then submitting their responses. This is a flexible and remote voluntary role that can be carried out easily from home.
Requirements
Before you begin your role, you will need one reference and to complete an ID check. You must be 18 or older to apply.
Drive isolated older people to and from their monthly tea party, reconnecting them with their local community.
Pledge time: 180 minutes once a month for a year or 2,160 minutes a year
Tea parties provide a lifeline of friendship for our older guests, and the regular, warm, friendly chats and companionship provide a vital link with the outside world from which they have become isolated. Volunteer drivers take older people to the parties and stay with them to enjoy the get-together. Over time, drivers and older guests get to know each other well. Staying and enjoying the tea party is as much a part of your role as it is being a driver.
Requirements
You will need access to a four-door car, a full, clean driving licence, and a DBS (England and Wales) or PVG (Scotland) for this role. You will also need to be 18 or over to apply. Before you begin your role, you will need to complete online training modules to help you get the most out of volunteering.
Bring year-round friendship to a lonely older person with a regular phone call.
Pledge time: 60 minutes a month for six months or 360 minutes a year
Do you enjoy chatting over the phone? Are you a good listener? Our call companions provide comfort and joy to lonely older people with regular, friendly phone calls. To become a call companion, you need to have the time and dedication for a half-hour chat over the phone every week or two. We'll do our best to match you with an older person we think you'll get on with so the conservation flows and a friendship can blossom. This is a very fulfilling, flexible voluntary role that can easily fit around a busy lifestyle.
Requirements
Before you begin your role, you will need to complete online training modules to help you get the most out of volunteering. You must be over 18 to apply.
Ensure lonely older people are warmly welcomed and enjoy the monthly screening at a community cinema in Crosby.
Pledge time: 60 minutes (one off)
Plan, organise and schedule the flicks and friends calendar in cooperation with the Plaza Cinema in Crosby. You’ll also greet the older people as they arrive, collect, count and bank donations, and be on hand to deal with any issues that may arise.
Flicks and friends takes place once a month and is attended by other Re-engage volunteers as well as the older people you’ll be supporting.
The activity provides a lifeline of friendship for socially isolated and lonely older people in the area. And the warm, regular, and friendly companionship provides a vital link with the outside world.
Requirements
Before you begin your role, you will need one reference and to complete an ID check. You must be 18 or older to apply and will also have a 30-minute induction call with a member of the Re-engage team.
Find out more about becoming a flicks and friends group coordinator
