This Volunteers Week (1-7 June) NHS Leeds Clinical Commissioning Group is hoping to inspire as many local residents to volunteer their spare time and give a helping hand in the fight to end social isolation by joining them in backing the ‘Looking the out for our neighbours’ campaign.
The ‘Looking out for our neighbours’ campaign has been developed by the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership and has received the support of MP Jo Cox’s sister as well as over 300 organisations in the region including Leeds Rhinos, NHS organisations in the city, community and voluntary groups and Leeds City Council.
The campaign hopes to inspire people to reach out to those who live alone or might need help, and encourage them to do simple things for them that will make a real difference to their wellbeing. This could be anything from picking up some shopping to something as easy as just saying “hello” next time they see their neighbours.
Tim Ryley, Chief Executive Officer at NHS Leeds CCG said: “From the very start of this campaign, we have been keen to get as many people as possible involved in this brilliant and crucial initiative. From colleagues, to members of the public our aim from the onset has been to get everybody to lend any time they have to help connect their neighbourhoods.
“If we can encourage just a few people to volunteer their spare time into helping their community and looking out for those neighbours that may need a helping hand, we’ll have gone a long way to making the kind of difference the initiative set out to do when it was launched.
“Anyone can become socially isolated, so it’s important that we all do what we can to recognise and alleviate this. We all have the power to do something and now is the time for us all to take action, so let’s make a difference.”
To download a neighbour pack or to find out more about the campaign, visit: www.ourneighbours.org.uk