You’ve got a friend with new Shadsworth ‘buddy’ scheme

Good Morning Shadsworth is a new scheme offering a phone call every week to anyone who is in need of a friend to talk to.

A ‘buddy’ will call you at your preferred time on Mondays to have a chat - you can choose the subject and it's free. They will ring you so you will not be charged.

Your buddy will stay on for as long as you like, whether it is two minutes or 20 minutes.

Volunteer Angie Allen will be manning the phones every Monday, and said she is looking forward to chatting to other residents: “We will be ringing people who can’t always get out of the house and help them get more involved.

“I will be asking the people if they are OK, if they know what is going on in the area, and what sort of things they want to talk about.

“Everyone is invited to come to the coffee morning at Shadsworth Community Centre once a month, where they can sit and talk to other residents.

“People can also tell us if they are not feeling very well and we will immediately call their next of kin, so we can make sure they are OK.”

Mrs Elsie Price from Shadsworth, who has signed up to receive the phone calls, said she hoped to get a chance to talk about issues concerning her in Shadsworth: “I want to talk about Shadsworth, and what is going on here. I think it will be good to know more about what is going on because it can be hard to get out and about.”

Mrs Pamela Blackburn, also from Shadsworth, said: “I think this is a really good idea, especially for people with disabilities who can’t get around very well and want to feel more involved in the community.”

A partnership between the Council and Twin Valley Homes (TVH), Good Morning Shadsworth is based on research by the University of Manchester, which found that the phone calls were one of the best ways to reach people who are not able to get out of the house much.

Anyone who is interested in becoming somebody’s volunteer buddy or in receiving the phone calls from a buddy, please contact Lesley Fox on (01254) 503203.

Jean Thompson, TVH support community worker, said: “We value all our tenants and we are delighted to be working with Blackburn with Darwen Council on this really important scheme. The Shadsworth project is a pilot and we hope that residents Shadsworth will find it useful. If it is a success we will be looking to roll it out to other areas of Blackburn with Darwen.”