Sheffield charity expands Good Neighbour Scheme to Doncaster

by | Feb 27, 2025 | Charity, Community, News, Top Story 2 - Home Page sub 1

Elderly man and young girl playing video games

A Sheffield based charity has expanded one of its longest running schemes to Doncaster in a bid to combat loneliness and isolation among older people.

Sheffield Churches Council for Community Care’s ‘Good Neighbour Scheme’, provides older people in the local area with befriending support in their homes.

The scheme relies on a network of volunteers from across South Yorkshire who provide companionship and support to the elderly. They help in various ways, including home visits, weekly telephone chats, and assistance in day-to-day challenges.

Ericka Hill, award winning fundraiser and Marketing and Communications Officer for SCCCC, said: “This scheme has grown and grown, and we’ve helped thousands of people.”

A picture of the Doncaster Royal Infirmary with people standing outside.
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The expansion to Doncaster follows the success of the Home from Hospital scheme, which the charity launched in partnership with Doncaster Royal Infirmary in 2023. The four-week service supports people returning home from hospital and is designed to help them stay connected and maintain their independence.

“Instead of readmitting themselves to hospital, the scheme helps to keep older people in their homes and give them the confidence to live independently. But after the four weeks, we felt like we couldn’t provide any input. That’s what we want, at the end of the day – for them to be happy in their homes.”

The time restrictions of the Home from Hospital scheme led to the local charity expanding their Good Neighbour scheme to Doncaster.

“We knew how well the Good Neighbour Scheme was going in Sheffield, so we decided we needed to look at running it in Doncaster. It’s only been running for two months and now we’re recruiting volunteers to visit the people we’ve met on the Home from Hospital scheme – it keeps them connected and gives them something to look forward to,” Ericka said.

According to Age UK, loneliness is said to be as harmful as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, and impacts both mental and physical health.

“We had a lady who said to us ‘I was thinking of killing myself, and now I have a reason to go on.’ And with that in mind, we’ve been running this service for nearly 60 years now, and it shows how important it is.

“I am so proud to work for SCCCC because I can see the difference it makes to people’s lives. The feedback that we get from service users – you’re saving somebody’s life, literally.” Ericka said.