Medway Voluntary Action

Medway’s Marvelous Communities

There’s a wealth of help and friendships to be made on your doorstep through Medway’s voluntary and community groups and organisations.

If you need help in Medway, or simply want to connect more with your community, then support is often closer than you think. Medway has over 1,000 voluntary and community groups, clubs and organisations – supporting interests and needs as diverse as fitness, art, loneliness, men in sheds, carers, finances and so much more. You can find out more about local groups through Medway Voluntary Action’s online community directories - you just need to visit www.mva.org.uk where you will find: • A directory of local groups and organisations (and you can search for what you need based on location or support requirements). • Simply Connect Medway – that can help you

to find activities taking place near you based on your own personal interests (with details for how you can join them). Or if you’re not confident about connecting with a local group by yourself, then you could: • Contact your local GP and ask to speak to their Link Worker supporting social prescribing - these are dedicated staff members who can help you get in touch with community support. • Speak to Medway’s Wellbeing Navigation team who can help you access local support – their contact details are: email: MCCG.Carenav-

Medway@nhs.net or call: 0300 0111965. Of course, these local groups and clubs often need volunteer support to help them run – and volunteering your time is a great way to make friends as well as to support good causes. Medway charities have a huge number of volunteering opportunities to meet varied interests and time commitments – to find out more about current local volunteering vacancies, you can visit Medway Voluntary Action’s website: www.mva.org.uk/volunteering or drop them a line: volunteering@mva.org.uk. One local organization who are always keen to welcome new volunteers, or people who would like to be befriended themselves, is MVA Befriending Service. MVA Befriending service has been running in Medway since April 2019 and has more

than 70 active volunteers who help more than 150 residents to feel less lonely and more connected to their local communities. As the Befriending Service Manager, Dalia HalpernMatthews, explains: “There are so many lonely and isolated people around us, and this has of course been made worse by the pandemic. We have had nearly 550 referrals into our service since we began, more than 400 of them since March- and yet only 28% of these are actually Covid-related. Befriending is such an effective way of reaching out to these people, helping them to feel connected into their communities again, and feeling better in themselves. Over half of our befriendees feel happier, more satisfied, or that life has become more worthwhile as a result of our service and nearly all of our befriendee’s health and wellbeing has improved in some way. And we often act as a safety net for people with more complex issues, continuing to support them while more specialised services help their more complex needs. While most of our services are now operated on the phone, we offer Zoom coffee and chat sessions every week, and there is access to our Walking Group. When possible we also offer ‘Park and Chat’ sessions or ‘Café and Chat’ sessions too. They are all so well attended, and appreciated.” The Befriending service is making a real difference to people’s lives – meet Pam: Pam had suffered from depression for many years, and had been calling the ambulance service frequently for panic attacks. She wanted to be independent, but would forget to eat; she had limited mobility. She tended to get anxious when no-one was with her. In March 2020 MVA connected Pam to one of their own telephone befrienders, Lesley. Lesley called her most days for 10-15 minutes for several months, and continues to call her several times a week. Lesley’s encouragement meant that Pam was far less anxious, and she even sat in her garden and talked to neighbours when the weather was good. Pam sleeps better now, and feels happier. She said “Talking to Lesley routinely really cheers me up; I feel so much brighter in myself”. Befriending support doesn’t always take place on a one to one basis either, MVA have worked with their team of volunteers and Befriendees to develop group activities – face to face where possible and online when Covid-19 has been a very high risk to residents. Everyone involved in these group activities (whether they were walks, chats in the park or an art session or coffee over zoom) found them very rewarding, in their own words: “Making arrangements to go for a short walk is what motivates me to get up some days…and it’s especially nice when we take a sit down at the end of the walk and have a flask or a coffee and chat before we head off our own way. “ “To be honest it means more than words can say. It’s like a little community and we have all built a lovely friendship through” “For me it’s a life line to talk and walk with other people, as most days and nights I don’t hear from anybody. Thank you for being there.”

“Good company, good advice, a listening ear all prepared to listen and help each other. Help when you think you are alone. Satisfaction that you can help others it means a lot. “ “It’s the company of going out with people when I go for a walk with someone in the morning. It gets me through the rest of the day.” The simple fact is that, without volunteers, local charities simply wouldn’t be able to function – that’s why local volunteers are often called #MedwayHeroes. Volunteers can also get a lot out of their experience too, and there is extensive evidence that volunteering can help improve confidence, mental wellbeing, skills and knowledge. Here are just a few soundbites from local volunteers that help convey how rewarding they find their volunteering: “I have a lovely talk with my befriendee, we have so much in common. It’s like chatting over the garden fence!” (Debbie) “It is really good, not at all judgemental as some other organisations are. It is 100% worthwhile, and I feel completely comfortable with you.” (Naz) “Having been furloughed I really needed to do this volunteering. I’ve really enjoyed making the calls, knowing I’ve made a difference” (Charley) “I really enjoyed my first call, and am looking forward to the next one, I’m learning all sorts of hints on gardening which I don’t know. Making the call and talking to my befriendee is great, it takes me out of everything in my world.” (Beverley) “I’m having a lovely time talking to my befriendees. I’m having a whale of a time. A said to me “Oh, you are a very useful person’!” (Pat) “I’m so glad to be doing this” (Jatinder) “I’m so glad that I’m involved in this programme.” (Tracy) “D has a million and one stories to tell, he is very interesting and so much happier now” (Andy) “I have just had my first call to an inspiring 92 year old lady. She is very optimistic; it inspired me she is amazing” (Leonora) “S is always saying thank you, that we’ve made so much difference to her life” (Rehmat) “One of the ladies I call has mental health problems, and I can really relate to that, it is a really good match for us both. Making these calls has made me realise how lucky I am”(Ellie) “Making these calls has been a godsend for me over the lockdown while I’ve been shielding” (Jatinder). To find out more about MVA’s Befriending service – whether you would like support or give to some support to someone else locally – then contact any of the Friendly Team at befriending@mva.org.uk or on 01634 564939.