CAN you spare a few hours each month to lend a hand to someone who needs practical help after an illness at home or hospital stay?

Care Network Cambridgeshire needs more volunteers in Fenland to join its Help at Home scheme.

For Mark, a single parent who lives near Manea, such assistance proved a godsend.

He was working as a teaching assistant when he had to go into hospital for a total hip replacement. Four weeks after his operation, he fell down the stairs and needed more surgery. It meant he was unable to drive and was stuck at home for eight weeks.

Luckily, before that second operation, someone at the school where he worked had phoned him and told him about Help at Home.

Mark says: “My main concern was shopping and Graham, the volunteer in my case, was very friendly and nothing was too much trouble for him.”

That case is typical, says Hilary Johnys, Care Network’s senior direct services coordinator. She is keen to recruit more helpers in Fenland, where there is a current shortage.

She said: “Our volunteers visit people at home who need a bit of extra assistance. The most popular requests for help are with shopping or collecting prescriptions. But we’ll try and help with anything practical if we can.’

“It is not a huge commitment and it can be worked around the other things in your life. You just let us when you are available. We provide all our volunteers with training and support and pay any out-of-pocket expenses.”

• To find out more, call Care Network on 01354 694413 or visit carenetwork.org.uk