Story

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. Keighley & District Volunteer Centre needs your help in continuing to provide essential services to our local community   Helping Hands Service Volunteers provide a free gardening service to the homes of older residents. Through the provision of this service many older people find relief from the stress, worry, and fear experienced through their inability to maintain an adequate upkeep of their gardens. Many older people feel a sense of neighbourhood embarrassment through the neglect of their gardens. Having at one time taken great pride in their gardens appearance, now sadly through ill health, frailty or poverty can only watch as the consequences of this neglect take hold. An unkempt garden can also indicate to a thief, where a frail or elderly person lives, and the fear of crime remains a constant concern. The Helping Hands team helps over 600 older people per year!   Carelink Older persons befriending service  Volunteers Provide companionship for older residents experiencing loneliness and isolation.  CarelinK is a befriending scheme for older people who have become lonely and isolated due to ill-health, bereavement, disability or poverty.  The scheme aims to improve the quality of life of isolated older people by providing companionship, reducing isolation, increasing self esteem and reconnecting them with the community.  KDVC identified the need for a befriending scheme in the Keighley area after receiving a growing number of requests for help from individuals and voluntary and statutory agencies.   The scheme works by recruiting and training volunteer befrienders and matching them up  with older people who self-refer or are referred by health professionals, Social Services, or other statutory or voluntary agencies.  In addition to providing one-to-one befriending, CarelinK is a mobile resource for   isolated  people referred to the scheme, who are given information about other services and social activities that are available to them. They are assisted in accessing services if necessary, in order to further reduce their isolation and improve their quality of life.    Supported Volunteering Project for Adults with Learning Disabilities   Providing one to one support to enable adults with learning disabilities to volunteer independently in not for profit organisations within their local community. The scheme operates throughout the Bradford Metropolitan District, breaking down barriers and enabling people to access opportunities they would otherwise be excluded from.   The project will overcome the barriers that prevent people with learning disabilities accessing mainstream volunteer opportunities.   Many of the people who access our service have little or no experience of volunteering and would otherwise be unable to secure and sustain a worthwhile placement opportunity due to their additional learning and support needs. By providing support tailored to each person's individual needs, people overcome many of the obstacles they face and are enabled to gain the experience, skills and confidence to volunteer independently.     By working closely with placement providers, we are also able to break down barriers including stereotypes and misconceptions that often limit people with  learning disabilities. Through the provision of information, advice and training,  placements are furnished with knowledge and practical skills that enable them to create supportive working environments in which people can flourish and demonstrate their credibility as valuable volunteers. This helps to create mutually beneficial placements for volunteers and organizations alike, who can work together effectively to achieve maximum positive impact for the charitable cause they represent.   Please make a difference to these people’s lives and help us to continue this essential work in our local community.   Thank You