We are delighted to share that we have secured crucial funding that will allow us to continue this vital Befriending and Practical Support scheme for the next 3 years.
Based in Ashbourne since 1999, Readycall has been providing social contact and practical support to thousands of vulnerable older people in the Derbyshire Dales. Funded initially by the National Lottery, it has more recently been supported by Macmillan Cancer Support, but as that funding came to an end, it was looking as if the service would have to close.
Vital interim support from local fundraising and donations allowed the service to carry on whilst replacement funding was sought.
At the eleventh hour has come great news. A £331,985 grant from the National Lottery Reaching Communities Fund, and £67,673 from St James’s Place Charitable Foundation have now been announced – enough to run an enlarged service for the next three years and support around 900 people over that time.
The scheme is one of our portfolio of services and Chief Executive Gill Geddes is delighted at the news: “This is such a relief – it would have been a tragedy to disband our wonderful team of volunteers and support staff who have, over the last 25 years, built this fantastic service.”
News that the service was at risk prompted a passionate response from users of the service, and its volunteer team:
“We heard some really moving stories about the difference we had made to service users’ lives. Now, these grants mean that we can continue to tackle loneliness and isolation, providing befriending and social activities that keep people connected within their community, and practical help that keeps people able to live independently for longer. The new funding will allow us to grow our staff and volunteer teams across the Derbyshire Dales, and we will soon be able to take on new service users”.
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