Good Neighbour FAQs
Why get involved?
For volunteers Good Neighbours is a chance to:
- Get involved with your community and do as much or as little as you are able to
- Make a real difference to someone else’s life
- Be in contact with new people whose paths you may have never crossed, including those from different generations
- Make good use of whatever time you have to spare as well as particular skills or interests you may have
I only have a certain amount of time, on certain days, can I still volunteer?
Absolutely! As much or as little time as you’re able to volunteer- we’d still like to hear from you.
I can only do certain things, can I still help?
Yes, definitely! Everyone can do something for someone else, so we'd love to hear from you and we will aim to match someone's need with your skill-set.
What would I be doing?
There are a number of different roles for the Good Neighbours, please see the volunteer roles section of our website.
When registering with us we ask you to tell us which roles you’re interested in so we can best match you to someone requesting support. You can tick as many or as few of these options as you like/are interested in.
Is there a minimum time commitment?
Only for those roles where you’ll be building some sort of rapport with the person you’re supporting, for instance with the telephone befriending we’d be looking for a commitment of approximately 12 weeks and at least one weekly call of about 30 minutes.
Will I just be supporting one person?
This very much depends on what role you’re interested in and how much time you have to give. If you’d like to support more than one person with a weekly phone call that would be great.
For one-off tasks, it’s likely that you will be supporting more than one individual (for example garden tidy ups/picking up essential shopping).
Do I need access to my own transport?
Not necessarily, but it would be helpful for some of the roles.
I already help people, why do we need Good Neighbours?
Great! We're not trying to step on anyone's toes. However, not everyone is fortunate enough to have a ‘good neighbour’, someone they can turn to for support or help with one-off tasks. This is where Good Neighbours fits in!
Who does this aim to support?
Good Neighbours support people who are feeling lonely / socially isolated; have limited or no support around them and need help with the little things. This could be anything from a friendly telephone call to help with carrying out a variety of practical tasks. It’s expected that it will be mostly older people who will need the support of Good Neighbours. However, someone younger with long-term health conditions, who is socially isolated could equally benefit from this type of support.
To be considered for the Good Neighbour project, the person must be:
- A Warrington resident
- Unable to carry out activities independently due to health, age, disability or other barriers
- Have no-one else in their support network that can assist
- Priority will be given to individuals living on their own
It’s important to remember if a person already has a family member/friend/neighbour supporting them with one-off tasks or regular social contact, then they wouldn’t need to be referred to Good Neighbours. We don’t want to duplicate any support that is already ongoing in our community. This is for people who aren’t supported through a network of family and friends.
Will you take business from me, a local tradesperson?
Absolutely not! We do not offer specialist care or play any role that should be left to professional, qualified services. Nor do we provide volunteers to carry out skilled tasks that are appropriate for qualified tradespeople.
What support do I receive as a volunteer?
You will receive ongoing support from the Good Neighbours team.
You will receive our Handbook and associated policies to read through.
You will have access to training to support you in your role as a volunteer (which can be accessed online); in addition, you will have access to training offered by partner organisations as well (such as Warrington Borough Council). All training is accessed free of charge.