Two years of good neighbours in Reepham

One of the joys of living in Reepham is that you are surrounded by good neighbours. It seems that everyone has a cheery word or an offer of help when it is needed.
 

 
However, many people are reluctant to ask for help or, at least, to constantly ask the same willing neighbour, so, a few years ago, Revd Gill Wells, a former curate of the town, and some like-minded residents decided to establish a Reepham Good Neighbour Scheme.
 
With the help of Henry Micklejohn from the Norfolk Rural Community Council (NRCC) and after a year of getting the administration and finances in place, the Reepham Good Neighbour Scheme was launched in June 2014 with 11 local volunteers.
 
The aim is to promote friendship within the town and to provide a group of volunteers who are willing to help with one-off tasks that any good neighbour would undertake.
 
Over the two years of its existence it has helped with more than a hundred tasks, including help with physical tasks while a resident is recovering from an operation, befriending newcomers and taking residents to surgery appointments.
 
What the Good Neighbours cannot undertake are tasks that require specialist help, nor can they respond to emergencies.
 
The volunteers are all busy people, several of whom work full-time, so a few days’ notice is necessary to find the volunteer who is available at a particular time.
 
All the help is offered on a voluntary basis, but we do charge a minimal mileage fee for tasks involving transport – an amount laid down by NRCC (presently 45p per mile) – so no volunteer is out of pocket.
 
Personally, I have enjoyed my time with the scheme. I have made some good friends, had fun on the social events and got to know many people within the town. As with most volunteer roles you get far more out of it than you put into it.
 
After two years we may need to do some fundraising to keep going and, as the need for our services is growing, we certainly need more volunteers, but we are hopeful that we can continue for a few more years.
 
If you think you could become a Good Neighbour and would like more information or if you need our help, please call our duty volunteer on 07936 576684 and, if necessary, leave a message and number for us to get back to you.
 
Linda Fullegar
 
See our earlier story:

 

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