News / Fundraiser marks 15 years of befriending scheme
THE SHETLAND Befriending Scheme is hosting a soup and sweet and raffle fundraiser to mark the service’s 15th anniversary.
Project coordinator Lynn Tulloch said she was using the “significant milestone” to reflect on how the project had evolved and changed over the time she has been in post, and to think about the large number of people who have engaged with the service since 2000.
The befriending scheme has supported 402 matches and recruited 308 volunteers, and there continues to be regular demand for its provision.
Tulloch said that, having been involved in delivering the service on the ground over the years, she was now “more hands off” and is now responsible for the overall operation of the service – managing a team of five staff and taking the lead in securing funding and development the scheme to meet the community’s needs.
It was initially developed in 2000 after a need was identified by the children’s panel, and it targeted children and young people between 7 and 15 years old. The service was then expanded to include young adults aged 16-25 in early 2005.
Further expansion in the 7-15 age group saw the befriending scheme begin offering support to young people with additional support needs, learning difficulties and/or disability to access mainstream activities in August 2008.
Two years later an additional service was put in place to provide befriending to older members of the community – those living in their own home aged 60 and over.
Tulloch said: “It is absolutely fantastic that there continues to be a great interest from people Shetland-wide to volunteer with the scheme. Last year 31 new volunteers were recruited to the scheme and this year there are another seven new volutneers who are in the matching process.”
Volunteers engage with young people, young adults and older people on either a weekly or fortnightly basis for a set period of time.
They “participate in a whole range of activities and, through this, the young people’s skills are enhanced and developed so that they increase their ability to move forward positively with their future and, with the older people, they are able to continue to be active members of their community”.
In 2013 the scheme was accredited for quality in befriending (QiB) and it won a Volunteer Friendly Award the same year. QiB is seen as a benchmark for oragnisations providing one-to-one befriending and mentoring support with a badge of competence for safe practice, while the Volunteer Friendly Award, designed by Volunteer Centrer Dundee, supports, recognises and reward groups which are good at involving volunteers. Botth are valid until 2016.
Tulloch said: “The scheme would like to sincerely thank our funders of the scheme, who have supported the service over the last 15 years as without them the service would not have been available.”
Those at the scheme also thanked Voluntary Action Shetland for providing the befriending team with ongoing support.
Tulloch said the team wished to offer “a huge, heartfelt thank you to all the volunteers past and present who have volunteered with the scheme”.
“Without their committed contribution, the scheme would not be able to offer the support to the young people, young adults and 60+ service users who are involved. Thank you so much for your in put – it is greatly appreciated.”
Those who wish to support the Shetland Befriending Scheme’s fundraising efforts can come along to its soup and sweet event at 12 noon on Wednesday (24 June) at the Baptist Church in Lerwick.
- Anyone who would like further information about the service can contact its office directly on (01595) 743907, email befriending@shetland.org or visit its website at www.shetland-communities.org/shetland-befriending.
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