Could you be a Compassionate Neighbour?

Compassionate Neighbours is a social movement which helps to tackle the loneliness and isolation that many people towards the end of life due to age or illness face. Compassionate Neighbours are trained local people who offer their companionship, time, and support to people through 1-to-1 visits or group activities. Through this project we hope that a real life, reciprocal friendships grow which enriches the lives of all involved.

Find out more about the compassionate neighbours project

Compassionate Neighbours can help others by:

• visiting community members regularly
• offering friendship, emotional support, and a listening ear
• helping members stay connected to the local community as well as family and friends
• using their own skills and interests to create community initiatives and activities

What the role can offer you:

• a rewarding friendship with someone in your local community
• the ability to develop new and existing skills and to enhance your understanding of the uniqueness of each person’s journey
• increased confidence
• training in communication skills
• opportunities to be involved in the continuous development of the project
• on-going learning and training sessions
• competence in speaking about issues surrounding death, dying and loss
• a network of other Compassionate Neighbours in your local area

 What we expect from you:

• A desire to help others
• A good listener
• Reliable, trustworthy, and flexible
• Compassionate and empathic
• Patient and caring
• Ability to understand & commit to the boundaries and guidance of the Community Engagement team
• To be aged 18 or over
• To have respect for Trinity’s policies – the role will require you to role model Trinity’s policies at all times
• To be respectful of others regardless of their background – the role will require you to be committed to fairness, respect, equality, diversity, inclusion, and engagement as outlined in Trinity’s FREDIE policy
• To treat with confidentiality any information which is personal, private, or sensitive – the role may require you to handle sensitive data, such as financial information

Training

The Compassionate Neighbours training takes place over three sessions. The 2023 training dates are as follows:

• March: 14 and 16, 2-4pm on Zoom, 20th 11am-4pm in person
• April: 18 and 20, 7-9pm on Zoom, 28th 11am-4pm in person
• June: 12 and 14, 7-9pm on Zoom, 30th 11am-4pm in person
• August: 2 and 3, 7-9pm on Zoom, 18th 11am-4pm in person

How to apply

Please complete the online application form to apply. 

Apply Online

Other Volunteer Roles at Trinity

If you have any questions about your application, please contact Emma Naef (Community Engagement Manager)

For further information about how we use and share your personal data, please take a look at our Privacy Notice.

Each appropriate applicant will be asked to attend an informal interview. If successful, we will then take up two references, complete a DBS check, and you will be invited to attend the Compassionate Neighbours training (a mixture of online and in person).

We do not want you to be out of pocket through volunteering. We will reimburse reasonable travel expenses where relevant.