Registered Charity no. 1072538
The Volunteer Link Scheme (VLS) is a registered charity (no 1072538) established in 1994. We provide one to one volunteer befriending to people within the London Borough of Ealing who are housebound and socially isolated as a result of disability or long term illness. Most of our clients are elderly, although we also have much younger clients with disabilities.
We make well over 2750 visits to vulnerable people every year. The volunteer's role is to befriend, offer company and support their client. Volunteers can help a housebound person to get out of the house if they wish, or spend time talking with them at home; exactly the things that any paid helpers do not have time to do.
Some of the people the Scheme visits have family members who care for them full-time. Their task is unremitting. For carers the few hours "off duty" that a volunteer visitor can offer them gives them the respite which enables them to go on caring.
The Scheme really aims to meet the needs of its individual clients. Some need a "friend" who they can look forward to seeing each week, whether it is to help them do their own shopping, enable them to visit a park, or just to have a chat at home.
Have a look at What people say about us ...or you want to know more about having a visitor, please CLICK HERE.
In July 2008, with project funding from Awards for All Part of the Big Lottery Fund) we engaged an external consultant who undertook an evaluation of our service which showed 100% of clients surveyed were happy with their volunteer. it also showed the value of the Scheme with 81% stating they felt less lonely as a result of having a volunteer and 69% felt more optimistic or cheerful. Just over 50% were helped to get out of the house when they otherwise would not be able to go out. To see the summary of the report CLICK HERE.
In November 2006, The Scheme’s was awarded the Approved Provider Standard (APS). APS is a national benchmark for organisations providing one-to-one, volunteer mentoring or befriending and is supported by the Home Office and Department for Education and Skills.
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Our work is made possible by a three-year grant from the Henry Smith Charity and
Garfield Weston Foundation, with small grants from:
Ealing CVS
Three Valleys Water
Catalyst Communities Charitable Foundation
The Clothworkers Charitable Foundation
Lynn Foundation
Marsh Christian Charitable Trust
The Company of Actuaries Charitable Trust
29th May 1961 Charitable Trust
London Borough of Ealing
Help the Aged
Tesco Charity
Ealing and Brentford Consolidated Charities
And kind donations from Oaktree Church in Acton, and from various clients, volunteers, and families.
On behalf of all our clients, we would like to thank them all.
The Volunteer Link Scheme is Registered Charity no. 1072538