At North Herts & Stevenage Centre for Voluntary Services we are dedicated to championing and supporting the voluntary, community, faith, and social enterprise sector.

As well as aiding organisations working to improve the lives of those living in our community, we operate our own projects too.

Established in 2019, Reach Out Hertfordshire provides companionship and practical support to older people who are medically vulnerable and home from hospital.

Partnering clients up with a volunteer in their neighbourhood, Reach Out Hertfordshire helps people adjust to or recover from illness, whilst also reducing social isolation and loneliness.

Volunteering with Reach Out Hertfordshire is flexible and easily managed around other commitments.

Activities might include doing a spot of shopping, helping with paperwork and small household jobs, or just having a cup of tea and a chat.

It is rare, but occasionally Reach Out Hertfordshire matches a client with a volunteer older than them. The team recently matched a volunteer in his nineties with a client twelve years younger!

Jim applied to be a volunteer towards the end of last year. He wanted to stay active, and to help someone in his neighbourhood living with frailty and feeling isolated.

Due to Jim’s circumstances, such as access to transport, it took a while to find the right match. But in March the Reach Out Hertfordshire team matched him with Mary.

At 80 years of age, Mary was referred to Reach Out Hertfordshire for practical support and companionship, after being discharged from hospital with a heart condition.

She has arthritis, leaving her in pain and with poor mobility. With no family nearby Mary has been feeling very isolated.

From their first introduction Jim and Mary hit it off! Visiting Mary once a week, they’ve put the world to rights over many cups of tea and biscuits.

Mary thoroughly enjoys Jim’s visits, and they “always have a lot to talk about”. Jim equally enjoys their time together. He walks to her home, which he says keeps him active.

Volunteers need to be 16 or older, provide two references and successfully complete a DBS check.

If you’d like to help someone like Mary recover from illness and feel less isolated, find out more and register your interest online at reachout-project.org.uk/getting-involved or give them a call on 01462 689403.

Details have been changed to protect the privacy of those involved.

As the centre for volunteering services for North Herts and Stevenage, we equip community groups, charities and volunteers with the knowledge to thrive.

Learn more about how we help organisations reach their potential at www.nhcvs.org.uk.