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Borders Buddies (Hawick)

Outside the Box (Scottish Borders)
VO98004

Give some of your time to support someone in Hawick to build their confidence to get out and about a bit more.

Borders Buddies is a project funded by National Lottery Improving Lives Fund. It was begun because we were hearing from people who were feeling increasingly isolated and disconnected during Lockdown. Some of them had lost touch with friends or groups, some had lost some physical ability. Others had just lost confidence about rejoining groups or getting back to previous activities.

We are looking for ‘Buddies’ in the Hawick area to befriend people to support them to get back to doing what they would like to do. In some cases this may just involve going round for a chat every so often. It could also involve chumming someone to a group or activity, or to a cafe or shops.

You can read a blog here about the experience: https://otbds.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Borders-Buddies-Case-Study.pdf

You would be fully supported by our relevant policies and risk assessments, with PVG as necessary, and reasonable expenses would be reimbursed.

Dates and times to be confirmed. You can meet a person first to see if you get on; after that a regular commitment would be good, we understand that volunteers may need to take a break at times or circumstances may change, which is fine too.

Experience required

Varies depending on individuals. We aim to match people up with buddies they have something in common with, but this does not mean they have to be the same age. We are looking for people who are friendly, flexible and able to listen and communicate on a one-to-one basis.