Garden Friends (Full ‘Task Description’ attached)
Garden Friends is Age UK Wandsworth’s new paid for gardening/befriending service that matches older people who need help to maintain their gardens with a volunteer who lives locally who can give a few hours a month to provide some basic practical gardening support, as well as visiting regularly to develop a friendship, particularly if the older person is lonely and socially isolated.
Garden owners who use the service and become members will also be able to access additional garden related activities and events to help extend their social networks.
In order for us to deliver this new service we urgently need volunteers who can give as little as 1 or 2 hours a month to visit an older person, carry out very basic gardening tasks for them, according to the time that has been requested and paid for, plus some additional time to develop a friendship and get to know their new garden friend.
Volunteers are only required to carry out garden work once a month from March to October but will continue to visit regularly to continue the befriending side of the service during the winter which is when many older people feel most lonely and isolated.
Depending on the amount of time you can give you may be able to help with other simple tasks such as posting a letter or replenishing a bird feeder that an older person might find difficult to do them self.
To get this project up and running we need volunteers who can commit to 1-2 hours a month for basic gardening plus additional time for befriending and are available for 1 year minimum (ideally).
To register your interest for volunteering, please complete the attached application form and return it to volunteering@ageukwandsworth.org.uk
Menu
