A charity that acts like a good neighbour is desperately appealing for volunteers to help with what is becoming an increasingly busy service in Fenland.

The Cambridgeshire charity, whose volunteers help with practical support like food shopping or cooking a meal after an elderly person has come home from a hospital stay, says it would love more people to join them in the Fens.

Hilary Johnys, direct services manager at Care Network, said: “We are desperately short of volunteers in this area and would love more people to come on board. It might be befriending someone, doing some shopping, or in the case of one man he had taken a fall and was nervous about walking out to the shops.

“A volunteer went with him and helped him to get back his confidence.” she said.

She added that volunteers would only undertake practical help and there was no personal care involved.

“Volunteering is organised to fit in with people’s lives be they full or part time working or retired. The benefits of volunteering are that people get a real buzz out of helping others,” she said.

The charity began 27 years ago when a vicar in Comberton in south Cambridgeshire noticed that some of his parishioners were lonely or desperately needed practical help after coming home from a hospital stay.

He began the charity as a locally based car scheme but as it grew, and following a spell in hospital himself, it became clear there were vulnerable elderly across the whole county who could benefit from having someone go in to visit when they came home.

The charity has grown since it first found its wings in 1987 so that last month volunteers helped 178 people across the county.

Training is provided, travelling expenses are paid and everyone who volunteers will be subject to the required police checks.

If you think you could offer some of your time then please call Care Network at their Chatteris-based office on 01354-694413..