Community Champions

The Community Champions project aims to reduce loneliness for people over 60 who live alone in Harborough District (with no diagnosis of dementia). We accept referrals for clients from individuals, families, GP surgeries, Adult Social Care, Local Area Co-ordinators. 

We recruit and train volunteers who contact their client on a regular basis, with phone calls, emails, letters and visits.  We interview all of our volunteers and take up references for them. We match volunteers to suitable clients based on shared interests and similar life experiences.

We encourage all of our clients (and volunteers) to come along to our monthly Community Gatherings, held at a local café where we offer free tea and cake, conversation and accessible transport.

We have smaller, volunteer-led groups as well, such as a book club and breakfast club.

We have learning and training events on zoom and when possible in person, which helps them to become part of the community.

We offer 1:1 digital support for people to get online, with monthly zoom calls so they can practice their skills and meet other clients and volunteers.

Our volunteers can support people to join groups and classes.

We work with local schools and scouts to encourage intergenerational work, and a wide variety of partners.

Our new Next Steps course, which we aim to run three times a year, encourages clients to develop their agency and try new things to make local and online connections. 

A monthly newsletter offers a list of our own and local activities, interesting articles and advice/information.