Silver Talk, our telephone befriending service, is celebrating the unprecedented success of the last 12 months, after being shortlisted for a well-respected award.
The service has been shortlisted for Resident Support/Advice Programme of the Year at the Northern Housing Awards, an award which celebrates social landlords that are helping residents to overcome challenges and improve their lives.
The shortlist marks a year since the UK went into lockdown as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, which led to a dramatic rise in need for the service.
At its peak, Silver Talk almost tripled in size in an effort to ensure over 50’s across the region felt connected. The service, which provides users with a 30-minute social telephone chat each week, was providing support to over 300 service users, a jump from 95 in February 2020 before the pandemic struck, and took on a further 45 volunteers to meet the increase in demand.
Now, 12 months on, the service is continuing to grow. Christine Fletcher has joined as our new Volunteer and Engagement Coordinator and thanks to funding from building supplies contractor Travis Perkins and Derwent Valley, Mid Durham and Stanley AAPs, the team are continuing to reach even more older people in some of the most isolated areas of the North East, and recruiting more befriending volunteers.
Alongside Silver Talk, Karbon is celebrating a number of other award shortlistings in 2021.
Our Development Delivery team is up for Northern Housing Team of the Year at the Northern Housing Awwards, a fantastic way to end a financial year where the team has completed over 400 new homes, and St Cuthbert’s, our Retirement Living scheme in Hexham, has been shortlisted for Supported/Sheltered Housing Scheme of the Year at the Northern Housing Awards, and has made the shortlist for the Best Older People's Housing Development (rural and suburban) category, at the Inside Housing Development Awards.
Silver Talk, our telephone befriending service, is celebrating the unprecedented success of the last 12 months, after being shortlisted for a well-respected award.
The service has been shortlisted for Resident Support/Advice Programme of the Year at the Northern Housing Awards, an award which celebrates social landlords that are helping residents to overcome challenges and improve their lives.
The shortlist marks a year since the UK went into lockdown as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, which led to a dramatic rise in need for the service.
At its peak, Silver Talk almost tripled in size in an effort to ensure over 50’s across the region felt connected. The service, which provides users with a 30-minute social telephone chat each week, was providing support to over 300 service users, a jump from 95 in February 2020 before the pandemic struck, and took on a further 45 volunteers to meet the increase in demand.
Now, 12 months on, the service is continuing to grow. Christine Fletcher has joined as our new Volunteer and Engagement Coordinator and thanks to funding from building supplies contractor Travis Perkins and Derwent Valley, Mid Durham and Stanley AAPs, the team are continuing to reach even more older people in some of the most isolated areas of the North East, and recruiting more befriending volunteers.
Alongside Silver Talk, Karbon is celebrating a number of other award shortlistings in 2021.
Our Development Delivery team is up for Northern Housing Team of the Year at the Northern Housing Awwards, a fantastic way to end a financial year where the team has completed over 400 new homes, and St Cuthbert’s, our Retirement Living scheme in Hexham, has been shortlisted for Supported/Sheltered Housing Scheme of the Year at the Northern Housing Awards, and has made the shortlist for the Best Older People's Housing Development (rural and suburban) category, at the Inside Housing Development Awards.
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