Organisation of the Month

We have chosen Being There as our organisation of the month

 

Being There support people living with cancer and other life limiting illnesses to receive emotional and practical support enabling them to manage their conditions more effectively. With the help of their volunteers they offer 3 main services to people; Home-Visiting/befriending support, hospital transport and a social group. All their volunteers are trained and come from all walks of life. Some have already supported a family member or friend with a long term health condition and some have personal experience so they understand how difficult and isolating it can be!

Befriending/listening volunteers are matched with a person who is socially isolated and in need of support and use their listening skills and life experience to listen to worries, concerns and give emotional support to those having difficulties managing their illness or diagnosis. They may also offer practical help such as helping someone with their shopping or providing respite sitting to support those with caring responsibilities.  

Their Transport volunteers support people needing medical treatment. The drivers provide an invaluable service to help transport clients to and from hospital and medical appointments and occasionally to Being There social groups. Their drivers use their own vehicles and offer emotional support to people and may occasionally sit and wait with people awaiting treatment.

Their Social Group volunteers help by providing refreshments, setting up and taking part in activities. Their group meets on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month at Cranbrook Gardens in Ashton under Lyne. The group gives isolated people the chance to meet up, make new friends, have a cup of tea and chat and take part in activities. They also have guest speakers from various organisations who can provide information related to health and wellbeing.

Why volunteer with Being There-Tameside and Glossop?

You can make a massive difference to someone facing a challenging diagnosis or dealing with a long term health condition. Supporting someone to share their feelings, worries and concerns can help them to feel less daunted, more confident and more positive. Providing a listening ear and emotional support can make all the difference to someone living in isolation and help them to gain a new perspective or enable them to manage their condition more fully.

Access  training and support: You’ll receive training and continued support from your branch manager with one-to-one volunteer supervision enabling you to feedback your experiences and continually shape the service. You can also attend bi-annual volunteer support/social meetings to share your experiences with other volunteers and make new friends.

Giving back: Seeing the difference you can make in someone’s life is wonderful, and a huge confidence boost.  Whether you’re looking to get back into work, retrain in a new field or want to give something back to your community, volunteering with Being There is a great experience!

Flexible: Volunteering for Being There will hopefully be a long-term commitment, but we only ask for 2-3 hours of your time each week for befriending/listening and/or group support volunteering and these can be easily fitted around other commitments such as looking after your family, part time work or studies. You can also choose what days/hours you would like to volunteer as a transport driver.

Rewarding: Volunteering with Being There may help you to develop new interests and skills and a deeper understanding of the issues and challenges faced by the people they support. They hope you find that volunteering with them is a mutually rewarding experience where you get as much out of it as the person you support!

Quotes from a volunteer and person supported by Being There:

Mary a recent user of the Being There service says...

“I am an 82 year old widow. I was contacted by Being There 12 months ago to see if I required any voluntary help with regard to companionship, help and support. I met with Suzanne, the branch manager who proved to me that Being There was an organisation who did their utmost to instill purpose and confidence for the days ahead for both myself and others. I was matched with my new volunteer Lynette, who without doubt restored my faith in human nature. She has proved to be an absolute godsend, who on my dark days was there with kindness and hope for the future, allaying my fears. I felt at that time that I was waiting in ‘God’s parlour’ and Lynette has proved to be a stalwart guardian angel!” Lynette supports me in many ways, emotionally, and practically taking me out shopping and also helping me to access the Being There social group where I have had the opportunity to make some lovely new friends, take part in activities and feel so much better in general. I shall always be profoundly grateful to ‘Being There’ when it mattered in the truest sense of the words and long may the service continue.

 Lynette a Being There befriender & social group volunteer says...

 “I’m Lynette and I have been volunteering for Being There for nearly 18 months. I wanted to become a volunteer to help support people as I have been through cancer myself and I felt that there wasn’t a lot of support after treatment. I was interested in Being There as they are a local charity who recruit volunteers to assist people who really need support to cope with their illness. I find volunteering so rewarding because you can make a real difference to people. I help a lady called Mary who I support by going to visit regularly and helping her to get out shopping and going for a coffee. Mary has difficulty walking so it’s great that I am able to take time to help her get out. I also take Mary to a new social group set up by Being There that started earlier this year and has been going brilliantly well. Everyone loves going and Mary really benefits as she is now socialising more and feels less isolated. It’s also nice to meet up with the other volunteers at the group as we don’t often get the opportunity. It’s a lovely group, very friendly and chatty and I feel that the members would be really isolated if they didn’t have this to look forward to. I really do feel this charity makes a big difference and I love Being There!

Does this sound like you? Give us a call and we would love to answer your questions about volunteering with us! 

You can contact us:
By phone on 0161 217 1373
By email at tameside@beingthere.org.uk
Visit the Being There website www.beingthere.org.uk or our facebook page @BeingThereForYou