First Care & Repair Volunteers Ready to Help!

A welcome partnership between Care and Repair Edinburgh and Big Hearts Community Trust launched this autumn, and the first tranche of volunteers are now ready to provide help to the older people of Edinburgh.

The Big Hearts Care and Repair Edinburgh volunteering project has been set up to help the elderly and vulnerable residents of Edinburgh by carrying out household repairs and basic digital and IT fixes.

The new joint project sees teams of Big Hearts volunteers go through the required training together and begin supporting those who require some help in the community.

Two volunteer roles are available under the banner of the ‘handyperson’ service.  Volunteers with some basic DIY skills and volunteers who can provide some basic IT and digital equipment support. Both services are in huge demand across the local area, with increased waiting lists and the help offered makes a huge difference to the individuals involved.

The aim of both services is to ensure that individuals can live in their own homes in more comfort, security and with greater independence.

A fantastic example of the Care & Repair Edinburgh ‘Technical Handyperson’ service in action:

One volunteer recently helped one elderly couple by setting up Skype on their PC. The couple can keep in touch with their grandchildren who live in Canada and they get to see them, much to their delight.

Yvonne Georgeson, Volunteer Officer for Care & Repair said:

“Volunteer recruitment is always a challenge and working with Big Hearts has allowed us to access lots of brilliant volunteers who have some time to give.  We know that by having new volunteers we can increase our Handyperson service and improve the lives of many older and disabled people who need some help to feel more secure and less isolated in their homes.”