Who is this service intended for? Anyone who has been diagnosed with a potentially life-limiting illness and/or bereaved.
Where is this service provided? In the community and people’s homes across Herts and Bucks.
When is this service available? Anytime, for about 1 hour/week, by mutual arrangement between volunteer and Community Member.
About our Compassionate Neighbours
Compassionate Neighbours at Rennie Grove Peace is a social movement of local people enabled and supported to be more compassionate in their local communities. Trained volunteers provide social and emotional support to people towards the end of life due to age, or illness and people who have affected by bereavement. They also share their knowledge and experiences of end of life, death, dying and loss within their community and provoke engagement with these issues.
A Compassionate Neighbour will support people by:
- Visiting regularly
- Offering friendship, emotional support and a listening ear
- Helping them to do the things they like doing
- Helping them stay connected to the community as well as family and friends
We’ll assess your needs over the phone and visit you at home before trying to match with a volunteer.
It’s a flexible, volunteer-led service and can be tailored to what you need and when (about 1 hour/week).
Please note, Compassionate Neighbours provide support by doing things with you (not for you). They do not offer clinical support, shopping, personal care or full-time cleaning or gardening.
Our catchment area spans West Herts and Bucks, Compassionate Neighbours is available to anyone who has been diagnosed with a potentially life-limiting illness and/or is bereaved.
If you or a family member would like to access our Compassionate Neighbours programme, please contact the Compassionate Communities team on 01923 330330 or click the link below.
Like all Rennie Grove Peace services, Compassionate Neighbours in West Herts and Bucks is completely free of charge; it’s not means tested and there’s no cost to you. We can only deliver the services thanks to the generosity of the local community and the volunteers involved.
If you’d like to make a donation to support our services, you can do that here.
“Love meeting new people and hearing and learning about them and their lives. Developing connections with all kinds of different people and witnessing how they increasingly feel relaxed and comfortable in your company.”
Compassionate Neighbours are volunteers who provide 1:1 social, emotional support and companionship to people who are experiencing loneliness or social isolation as a result of living with a life-limiting illness or bereavement.
For more information or to apply please click on the link below.
"It's been so lovely to meet someone else and have a laugh! He doesn't judge or look down on me because of my condition. Love Peter's dog! Hoping to go out together as the weather gets better - might go to the pub or aquadrome."
“They come round every week and we play Scrabble together - love it! Really cheers me up!"
“Love seeing my CN and spending time together; we enjoy walking the dog”
You may also be interested in
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Gizella and Raj’s Story
Gizella has been a Community Member with us at Rennie Grove Peace since 2022 and has found support from her Compassionate Neighbour, Raj, to be fulfilling in more ways than one.
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Compassionate Cafés
Our Compassionate Cafés are drop-in sessions, in local cafés and venues, providing a welcoming space for people affected by any type of loss.
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Compassionate Support Hubs
Providing a space where people affected by the diagnosis of a progressive life-limiting illness can drop in to meet others for a friendly chat, a drink, and a wellbeing activity
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