What is the Compassionate Neighbours programme?
The Compassionate Neighbours programme at St Clare Hospice aims to help reduce loneliness and social isolation amongst people, living in West Essex and East Hertfordshire, who are at the end of their life due to serious illness or old age.
The programme aims to build supportive connections and genuine friendships within local communities, by ‘matching’ people together based on common interests, lifestyles and experiences.
Could Compassionate Neighbours help you?
People living with a serious, long-term or terminal illness, as well as the elderly, often struggle with loneliness and could do with some extra support. Compassionate Neighbours can really make a difference.
They are a network of trained volunteers who offer their time, companionship and support to people living in their community who are coping with serious illness or old age.
Compassionate Neighbours can support you by:
- visiting regularly
- offering friendship, emotional support and a listening ear
- helping you do the things you like doing
- helping you stay connected to your community, family and friends
All support is provided free of charge.
Find your Compassionate Neighbour
If you live in West Essex or East Hertfordshire and are feeling lonely or isolated due to old age or serious illness, you could access support from a Compassionate Neighbour.
If you are a local health or social care professional, friend or relative to someone you know who could benefit from the Compassionate Neighbours project, you are welcome to make a referral on their behalf with their permission.
Online referral form
If you need support filling in this online referral form, please get in touch with us via:
- Email – cn@stclarehospice.org.uk
- Telephone – Call us on 01279 594471
Volunteer with the Compassionate Neighbours project
Volunteering as a Compassionate Neighbour is rewarding role in which you will build genuine friendships with local people who are socially isolated. The friendships you make will feel genuine, and you’ll be making a big difference to local people who feel lonely due to serious illness or old age.
Your journey as a Compassionate Neighbours volunteer
Our Compassionate Neighbours Training Programme is suitable for everybody who would like to become a Neighbour within the project. This relaxed and informal training covers everything from the wider initiative of reducing social isolation and loneliness in the local community; to how your role as a Compassionate Neighbour can help to achieve this. We will offer guidance and support in developing your skills and knowledge to help you carry out the role with confidence.
We run our 2-day training courses on a regular basis, for more information and to join the next one, get in touch with the team: cn@stclarehospice.org.uk
At the end of the course, you can decide whether you would like to be matched with a community member, or simply take all your new knowledge and skills out into your own local community on a day to day basis.
Get in touch
If you’d like to speak with a member of the St Clare Hospice team about Compassionate Neighbours, please feel free to get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.
Email us at: cn@stclarehospice.org.uk
Call us on: 01279 594471
Our Compassionate Communities services are kindly supported by Awards for All and Qualis.
