The cash would enable the two charities to appoint a co-ordinator to run an extended shopping and escort service, which would see no limit to how long a volunteer could stay with a particular elderly person. Many elderly people are unable to get to shops and supermarkets for essentials like food and clothing. They often need someone to do their regular shopping for them or just to take them to the shops and back home again. It also means there's someone visiting the house regularly, to check they're all right, the house is warm, and so on. Jenny is optimistic that Age Concern and the Red Cross will win the funding, and so extra volunteers need to be recruited now.
People have to be willing to give just a couple of hours a week.
They're people willing to visit an elderly person regularly just for a chat. The demand is greater than ever - and we need more volunteers. The charity is looking for volunteers of all ages and from all walks of life who live in every part of York. On her birthday, I asked her to make a wish. She said she couldn't think of anything to wish for, because she had everything she wanted - nice friends, a nice flat.