As part of our Keeping Us Connected campaign, we focus on Northern Gas Networks’ role in helping the Age UK charity ensure some of the region’s most vulnerable pensioners are cared for.
Following the lockdown last month, the gas distributor extended its staff volunteering programme to offer unlimited paid volunteering hours to its 1,300-strong workforce.
Depot staff and members of the customer care teams from Northern Gas Networks are volunteering their spare time to take on some of the daily welfare phone calls on behalf of Age UK Gateshead, giving the charity extra capacity at a time when demand on its services is increasing.
The charity provides practical support and advice to more than 3,500 older people, some of whom have high levels of need through dementia and serious health conditions, but many more are experiencing isolation and loneliness during the lockdown.
The calls are an opportunity for those who are self-isolating or shielding to let the volunteers know if they need help with shopping, medication or keeping medical appointments. Perhaps more importantly the calls give older people in Gateshead the opportunity to interact with someone else and to hear a friendly, understanding voice.
One of the volunteers making the welfare calls is Annie-Rose Thomson, who is an admin assistant at Northern Gas Networks’ East Riding depot in Pontefract.
She said: “I wanted to volunteer during the lockdown because I knew that there were lots of people out there who need help and support. I find the telephone calls really rewarding because I know that I can flag up practical needs such as shopping with Age UK, but it’s lovely to chat to clients about whatever is on their mind, or to talk about the things that interest them, whether it’s their grandchildren, pets, hobbies or even what they’ve watched on TV that day. I do feel that the calls are making a difference.”
Jill Walker, social strategy manager at Northern Gas Networks, said: “Northern Gas Networks is rooted in the communities that it serves, with our staff both living and working in our region. So, following the lockdown announcement in March, we extended our staff volunteering programme to offer unlimited paid volunteering hours to our workforce of 1,300 colleagues.
“We’ve seen a fantastic response from our people, many who want to contribute to their communities by volunteering with charities, local authorities and the NHS. The great work being done by our volunteers in Gateshead with Age UK is just one example about how we’re getting involved during the health crisis.”
Julie Latimer, head of income generation and business development at Age UK Gateshead, said: “A conversation is more than just a chat. Many of our clients live by themselves, and our usual face-to-face meetings aren’t happening at the moment, so they have even less contact with other people than usual. The welfare call is something that our clients look forward to, as it may be the only time they talk to someone else that day.
“Having volunteers from Northern Gas Networks on board is great for us, because we have the assurance of knowing that those welfare calls are taking place, while we concentrate on clients who require specialist caring skills, such as those with dementia or mental health issues.”
Keeping Us Connected is a new series from Utility Week in which we highlight the achievements of employees across the utilities sector in getting the UK through lockdown. To nominate a member of your team for recognition, please email jameswallin@fav-house.com.