Cllr Leonora Thomson, Cabinet Member for Adult Services, announced the start of the Caring Friends scheme, that will bring befriending volunteers and unpaid carers together.

Cllr Thomson made the announcement earlier this week at the Carers Wales’ All Wales Carers Assembly in Cardiff.

Speaking at the event at County Hall, Cllr Thomson said the scheme had been created to provide unpaid carers in Cardiff with the opportunity to take a break and receive some emotional support. The scheme has been set up in response to feedback from those with caring responsibilities that their own health and wellbeing was adversely affected by their duties.

Cllr Thomson said: “We ran a successful pilot last year with 12 volunteers and 12 unpaid carers and it was incredibly useful to hear the views of both groups, their experiences and the difference it made to their lives. Their views have helped us to shape this new scheme.

“Unpaid carers play such an important role in our society. They provide vital care for their loved ones and it’s crucial that they can access support themselves. So I am delighted to officially launch Caring Friends which is an exciting step forward in supporting unpaid carers across Cardiff.”

With funding from the National Lottery’s All Wales Community Fund, the new initiative is a collaboration between Cardiff Council’s Care’diff team, Independent Living Services, and the Cardiff Wellbeing Support Services Community Volunteering Team based in hubs and libraries across the city.

Befriending volunteers will provide support in various ways to unpaid carers, including friendship phone calls, meeting at home or in the community for in-person support, assisting with light household or gardening tasks, shopping or signposting to other services that can provide additional support. 

Volunteers are DBS-checked and have received training around the experiences of carers, including awareness training about long-term health conditions such as Dementia.

Unpaid carers involved in the pilot scheme said: “With caring you get so wrapped up in the routine but this has helped me to unpack. We have a chat, a bit of a laugh, it’s a release of emotions,” and, “The visits bring me peace of mind, I can sit down or write or look at a book, just for a couple of hours I have some free time.

“I look forward to their visits. They are a breath of fresh air, they always arrive happy which is lovely for me, it’s very joyful.”

One of the befriending volunteers said: “It’s fantastic to know that a regular weekly half an hour phone call is bringing such relief to this resident and allowing them to reset and maintain their wellbeing alongside caring for someone else.” 

Unpaid carers in Cardiff who would like to receive support from a befriending volunteer should contact Independent Living Services on 02920 234 234 Option 2.

Anyone interested in using their skills to make a difference to an unpaid carer in the city can get in touch with the Wellbeing Support Service on 029 2087 1071 or email carersbefriending@cardiff.gov.uk