Most of us will experience loneliness during our lives, but for 15,589 people in North Hertfordshire and Stevenage, loneliness is a fact of day-to-day life. At Christmas it can be especially devastating - these people will have nobody to see or speak to while the rest of us are seemingly busy and having fun.
£
is how much we need to raise this year for us to train more volunteers, open more Hubs and recruit a dedicated nurse to link the Hospice and service together.
Please give to our Brighter Christmas Appeal so we can support more people on their own both this Christmas, and into the future.
Compassionate Neighbours is a service we run that’s matched hundreds of lonely and isolated people in our community with volunteers who befriend them. We host weekly Wellbeing Hubs which are attended by more than 400 people - each featuring exercise sessions, talks and simply an opportunity to mingle with others.
At Christmas we organise a Christmas Day party and our volunteers go out of their way to make the festive period brighter for our community members.
But we cannot keep up with demand.
We know that Compassionate Neighbours reduces loneliness within our community, improves health outcomes and enables us to reach people living with frailty who may benefit from our new Frailty Service. We are eager to expand the service.
Carol's story
Christmas was usually quiet for Carol and her husband, Mick. His health had been bad for a few years, but they would make a Christmas dinner and buy a few luxuries. Mick died on 1st December 2020. Carol reflects:
“My first one without him felt blank. He was supported by Garden House Hospice Care which was wonderful. But the following weeks were manic, confusing and horrible. I don’t have any family, I’m an only child and my closest friends have all died.
“I spent my Christmas alone.”
“I’ve only just started attending one of the new Wellbeing Hubs, but Jeanne has been my Compassionate Neighbour for a few years now. Our first Christmas after we met, she welcomed me into her home to spend the day with her family. It was so lovely simply to be with someone!
“When you’re alone, you lose your personality because there is nobody there to share your personality with. I felt like I was losing myself, floating around in an abyss. I don’t know what I would have done without Jeanne.
“Last year, I went to the Compassionate Neighbour Christmas party. I made an effort getting ready and put on my Christmas jumper - it feels good to get a bit dressed up. It makes such a difference knowing I can go again this year too.”
Thanks to Compassionate Neighbours, Carol won’t be lonely this Christmas. She has been reconnected back into the community and now attends one of our Wellbeing Hubs each week. She has someone to call a friend. Carol is one of thousands of people in need of a friend, not just on Christmas day, but all year round.
Our expansion plan
- Increase our reach to 1000 Community Members - from the 891 we served in 2023/24
- Train 100 new Compassionate Neighbours, growing our numbers from 518 currently
- Open six new Wellbeing Hubs across North Hertfordshire. At the Hubs we hold exercise sessions, host talks and group activities and simply allow everyone to have a chat and a cup of tea
- Recruit new staff including a Hub Coordinator to support with the expansion and a Nurse who will identify people who may benefit from Garden House Hospice Care services, particularly our new Frailty Service as many attendees meet the criteria, and to give healthcare talks.
All of these actions will mean more local people have support, company and something to look forward to this Christmas, with our Compassionate Neighbours planning special treats for their Community Members and more people able to attend our Christmas Day party.
Can you give someone a brighter Christmas?
Your donation
£11 can contribute to an hour of our new nurse supporting our community members
£23 could go towards the special Christmas Day party
£50 may fund a seated exercise session for up to 50 people attending a new Wellbeing Hub
