Volunteers Praised for Supporting Socially Isolated Individuals

Volunteers in Wolverhampton, described as “priceless,” have received gratitude for their “extraordinary lengths” in assisting individuals experiencing social isolation. Approximately 130 of these volunteers conduct weekly visits or provide other forms of assistance to individuals facing mental health challenges in the aftermath of the Covid pandemic. Geoff Griffin, the project coordinator, stated that these unpaid participants significantly impact the lives of those they assist. He further explained, “The work that they do is priceless. It’s just absolutely incredible, words fail me at times.” The Holistic Opportunities Preventing Exclusion (HOPE) project operates as a collaboration between The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT) Charity and Wolverhampton Voluntary and Community Action (WVCA). Launched in April of the previous year, the initiative received partial funding from a £220,000 Covid recovery grant. Mr. Griffin clarified that the city’s social prescribing service had directed patients, aged between 13 and 97, to participate in the program. He also mentioned that befriending visits constituted the primary demand, citing an instance where a volunteer assisted a woman in her 90s with setting up email. He stated, “Her situation was transformed by being able to do this – she was able to interact not only with the volunteer but also with members of her family.” Adesuwa Sandra Usonegbu, a 48-year-old volunteer, visits a widow who is experiencing loneliness. She explained, “We talk and we watch TV together and we learn from and support each other. She looks forward to my visits and I look forward to spending time with her.” Idris Azeez, another volunteer, expressed feeling that he is “giving something back” through his regular support for a wheelchair user. He commented, “My 11-year-old son Abdul has cerebral palsy and over the years he has needed healthcare which has always been there for us – now I can return that kindness.” Concurrently, Paul Edmonds has dedicated time to establishing trust with a local resident whose husband lives with dementia. He remarked, “It is so lovely that she can take some time for herself when I visit to sit with her husband and [she has] some respite as she is her husband’s main carer.” Mr. Griffin stated: “They go to extraordinary lengths. A lot of them volunteer as well as doing full-time work. A lot of them use public transport, they travel up to an hour.” He added, “What they do, selflessly, is just extraordinary, out of the sense that they just want to help.”