Like lots of other people, Sandra had had a harder year than most. During a lockdown, she was diagnosed with an invasive form of cancer. Her partner has never recovered from having a stroke and depends on her. So, she was carrying a large weight when she rang The HEY Smile Foundation to ask for help. 

She was referred to the CallER Collective Team and began receiving calls from a volunteer who was matched to her around a year ago. Sandra says: “It’s been an absolute lifeline and I am so grateful. My partner doesn’t open-up about his emotions and I worry about him, so having someone to talk to outside the home was really helpful.”

She gets a weekly call, and it is a time she looked forward to, as she went through rounds of treatment and operations whilst facing life in a pandemic. She explained: “I feel like I came from a battered background when I started getting calls from HEY Smile. I find it hard to put into words what a difference it has made.

"We talk about all sorts of things. We laugh a lot. I believe that the relationship should be a two-way thing, so I always ask about her life, and I feel we are a good match and that we have developed a good rapport.”

Volunteers and beneficiaries aren’t allowed to meet under the rules of the service, but Sandra arranged for CallER Collective to send her volunteer a card to say thank you. She said: “I was very pleased they could send one. I still don’t think I put in words what a difference she made in my life. I just want to say thank you. You are a lifesaver.”

The name of the beneficiary has been changed at her request.

The CallER Collective Befriending Service was established in response to the Covid-19 outbreak during the first UK-wide Lockdown in March 2020. It quickly became apparent that the befriending support that was offered, was missing as a service in the East Riding.