GET LETTERS INVOLVED... SCCCC News

Dear Dot, Karen and Elspeth, WINTER 2017 Thank you so much for the help, support and companionship that Jane Green gives my mother-in-law through your Good Neighbours Scheme. Give the gift of Thank you for your support in 2017 friendship in 2018 Lucy Pathan

Help reduce the loneliness and isolation of our elderly in 2018, by registering for our Good Neighbour What are your thoughts about SCCCC? Email [email protected] Scheme, which aims to help older members of our community by enhancing their quality of life. Duties include – Can you help this Christmas? • Regular or occasional friendly By giving a Christmas donation you are making a big difference. (social) visits Please help us to maintain the level of care that all of our friends and • Holiday check (short term) for the families deserve. Your funds will go a long way to improving the level duration of a relative’s holiday of care in our communities for the festive season and well into 2018. • Re-arranging furniture to enable £5 could pay for the delivery of an emergency food parcel to an greater mobility older person’s home who has just been discharged from hospital • Occasional sitting to give a carer and has no support. time to attend an appointment £10 could help provide emergency practical support for an older • Escorting to hospital person in need. appointments £20 could support a fully trained friendly visitor to visit an older person at home - helping to reduce isolation and preventing ill health which We need more volunteers in all can result in hospital re-admission. areas of , in particular , , Shiregreen, Brightside, , Woodhouse, and . If you would like to make a donation please complete the following slip and return it to us with your donation to: 11 Holland Place, Sheffield, S2 4US. If you are interested in being one of our volunteers, please email Name: [email protected] for more information. Address:

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I would like to make a donation of £ Wednesday 20th December to Sheffield Churches Council for Community Care. Wow – what a year we’ve had Thanks also to those who came to our older people in Sheffield to battle Queens Award Ceremony and it’s all thanks to YOU, our fundraising and celebration events, loneliness and isolation. Without you, Please Gift Aid this donation and any donations I make in the future or have made in and of course to our corporate our wonderful charity would simply Friday 9th February the past 4 years. I am a UK taxpayer and understand that if I pay less Income Tax and/ amazing supporters. partners – especially Big Yellow not exist. or Capital Gains Tax than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all my donations in that storage, which has supported us in Cheese and wine evening You have helped raise thousands of more ways than we can say. In whichever way you’ve supported tax year, it is my responsibility to pay any difference. Tick to apply pounds by taking part in mass running us this year, it’s made a huge Email [email protected] for Please make cheque payable to: SCCCC. Do not send cash. Or visit our events, incredible hiking challenges, And don’t forget our amazing difference. So thank you from the more details. website: www.scccc.co.uk and donate online. supermarket bag packing and even volunteers, who give 6,000 hours bottom of our hearts. Here’s to an an attempt to cycle to the moon – or of unpaid work each year visiting exciting 2018! Registered charity number 1168077. thereabouts…! FOCUS ON... I always find that this time NEWS... of year offers an important SIMPLE STEPS opportunity for reflection and I am proud to be able to look Momentous Cathedral event marks TO TAKE TO END back upon what has been 50th anniversary LONELINESS a remarkable year for the THIS CHRISTMAS charity. We recently celebrated one

Core to our success has been a of the biggest events in our string of varied and well attended history. fundraising events, which have given us the financial lifeline to be able to Staff, supporters, volunteers and continue our potentially lifesaving service users turned out in force to fill work. the pews of Sheffield Cathedral for an extra special service marking half a From ‘pudding fest’ to a narrowboat century of our vital work. pie and peas night, and from a The other thing about the cold, dark, botanical themed dinner to an winter months of course, is that it One of the most senior bishops in Christmas is a time of STAFF PROFILE attempt to cycle to the moon, our brings into stark relief the challenges the land, the Lord Archbishop of togetherness and love, where fantastic supporters old and new faced by so many of the people York Dr John Sentamu, was our guest families make time for each other Name: Karen Pottinger have turned out in force to raise who we are here to support. So my of honour on the night, which was when a busy life throughout the Job Title: Good Neighbour money which goes such a long way plea to you is to think about how you complete with mesmerising harp year sometimes doesn’t allow. Scheme Co-ordinator towards helping thousands of isolated, might be able to help. Every pound music and a poignant candle lighting But imagine you had no one this older people in Sheffield. donated and every hour volunteered service. Christmas and had to face the What is your role responsible for? really does make a huge difference festive season alone with only Rightly, that work has been to the lives of older people in your It was a moving occasion and one My role involves taking referrals, television for company. Not only recognised this year in a big way- community. we’re so proud of. mainly for friendly visiting. After that, but imagine you weren’t from the incredible news that we a referral, I meet them and mobile enough to get to the had been awarded the prestigious Mark Storey Were you there? What did you think? then allocate a friendly visitor shops to buy food. Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, Chief Executive Officer Please email [email protected] volunteer. I also support our to the brilliantly attended service of Photography © James Stewart with your feedback. volunteers by regularly keeping Tens of thousands of people celebration at Sheffield Cathedral. in touch with them as well as aged over 65 in the city hear ensuring the visiting is going from family or friends less than well for the older person. I work once a week, with television their closely with Dot Fisher, who is only friend- even on Christmas also a Good Neighbour Scheme Day. We are calling on everyone (GNS) Co-ordinator. Volunteer of the issue to take some simple steps to end loneliness this Christmas. What does a typical day involve? This issue we are focussing Giving just a few pounds or There isn’t a ‘typical’ day for on Beatrice Gono, one of hours to SCCCC this Christmas, me. When I’m in the office I our fantastic volunteers who could make a huge difference, spend a lot of time on the phone supporting our work to end either to volunteers, referrers or has been part of our Good loneliness and isolation in the city. service-users. I often go out to Neighbour Scheme for more meet a volunteer for a supervision than a decade. Brian Gannon is amongst visit or go to see an older person the charity’s longest serving who has been referred. I also volunteers. He said: “I visit two have a small number of visiting Beatrice said: “I visit Ruby every Tuesday. We talk about many things, gentlemen. One, Frederick, has cases in where no family or friends and there we don’t have any volunteers. including her family and friends, her late husband and parents, her are days when he doesn’t see achievements in life and how Sheffield Trio’s fundraising 10k challenge anyone at all. There are lots What is the best aspect of the of older people in Sheffield who job? has changed over the years. We also talk about her education – she is very Pete Skipworth put his best foot or friends for support, it really brings are lonely. I used to visit a lady Working alongside our wonderful good at maths - and how there were forward with colleagues James home just how worthwhile this charity who sadly passed away, but volunteers and seeing how no computers or calculators and and Becky Chapman at this year’s is. she told me my visits were a beneficial and often hugely life- people had to solve maths problems Sheffield 10K, raising more than £1400 reason for her to keep going. The enhancing friendly visiting can using just their brains! for SCCCC’s life changing work. “I truly believe the key to happiness is loneliness she was feeling made be for the older person. in doing things for others. I’ve been a her so unhappy that she wanted

“Ruby is a lovely person and we look Pete, managing director at EM trustee with SCCCC since May. There to take her own life.” And the worst? forward to seeing each other each Solutions, and the newest of our is such a big and growing need for the Friendly visiting is subject to week. I volunteer for SCCCC because fantastic Trustees, said: “My wife and I kind of support that this charity gives. Whether you’re in a position to volunteer availability. Our I like helping oldr people. I also like have looked after older relatives and The third sector can lead the way help or not, please remember scheme is city wide and heavily meeting new people, listening to them know how much support they need, working in collaboration with the NHS, older people this Christmas. If you oversubscribed. Sometimes and sharing their experiences.” both in the community and from Local Authority and other partners. The have an older neighbour, check we just do not have volunteers going in-and-out of hospital. When number of volunteers the charity has is on them to see if they need available in certain areas of We need more volunteers. Please see you imagine that there are thousands amazing and they do a fantastic job anything. It will only take a few Sheffield. the back page for more information upon thousands of vulnerable, older alongside the charity’s staff. It proves minutes of your time, but it could about how you can help. people out there without any relatives that people really do care.” make their Christmas.