A NEW volunteer champion has been appointed to help charities which support carers in the area.
Sarah Lally-Marley will help recruit volunteers and promote the services of Ryedale Carers Support, Support for Carers Scarborough and Caring Together Whitby.
Based at Ryedale Carers Support, in Kirkbymoorside, Sarah is one of four volunteer champions working for organisations across North Yorkshire.
She said: “This is a challenging role and I am looking forward to working with the charities to help raise their profile and encourage more local people into volunteering.”
“Volunteers are the backbone of any charity and while I will be focused on gaining volunteers for us, if we are not right for them I will encourage people to give some of their time to a local charity that is.”
Joy Rayment has been a volunteer befriender with Ryedale Carers Support for the last two years and said there are many benefits to being a volunteer, “For me it has been about making new friends and enjoying the company of some lovely older people with interesting stories to tell,” she said.
Volunteers of all ages and backgrounds are welcomed by the charity to sit with older people to enable their partner or family carer to have a break. No personal or medical care is undertaken by volunteers, they would simply be required to provide friendly and supportive company.
Claire Hall, manager at Ryedale Carers Support, said: “We could not run our organisation without our dedicated volunteers and we are fortunate to have some wonderful people volunteering for us, however we are experiencing a rise in the demand for our services and always need new volunteers, so it is great to have Sarah on board.”
Sarah will be running a drop-in session on Friday,, February 6, from 10am to 2pm, at Pickering library for anyone interested in finding out more about volunteering or the services that Carers Support offer.
The drop-in session has been planned to link with the library’s launch of Books on Prescription that is showcasing a variety of books aimed at those suffering with dementia and their carers, including photographic books aimed at prompting memories.
To find out more about volunteering, call Sarah on 01751 432288 or e-mail volunteerchampion@ryedalecarers.org.uk
Visit ryedalecarers.org.uk
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