Overview
Loneliness and social isolation significantly impact the elderly and vulnerable, especially those housebound due to illness or age. These individuals often lose connection with their communities and nature, contributing to declining health and mental well-being. Feed the Birds combats this by having volunteers visit clients weekly to refill bird feeders, providing companionship and reconnecting them with nature. This simple yet effective model has supported over 200 clients so far, reducing isolation and improving health outcomes.
Loneliness and social isolation are major contributors to poor health, particularly among elderly and vulnerable individuals who are housebound due to age or illness. These individuals often struggle to connect with their communities, leading to increased feelings of depression and a decline in physical health. The lack of access to nature, such as in gardens, further exacerbates their isolation, leaving many cut off from the outside world and unable to engage in life-enhancing activities like bird watching.
Feed the Birds is an innovative solution to combat this issue, providing a simple but effective befriending service. Volunteers visit clients once a week to fill bird feeders, which are provided for free. As well as providing supplies, the visits offer connection to the outdoors and companionship, helping to reduce loneliness.
The scheme is particularly effective for people who may be reluctant to participate in traditional befriending services, using the act of bird feeding as an entry point to engage them in social interaction.
Since its launch, Feed the Birds has trained over 100 volunteers and supported nearly 200 clients, with clients benefiting from a reduction in isolation and health costs.
The £2,500 grant will help the charity to continue their work and re-hire their coordinator, who has been critical to managing their volunteer network and ensure safety and support for clients. The funds would also cover essential costs like volunteer training, background checks, and resources, including bird food and feeders.
Being shortlisted is incredible. We are a small, high impact charity open to all voluntary sector leaders across South Yorkshire. Many of the charities we support are small or medium sized organisations, the smallest being a food bank and community larder operating from the founder’s own house.
Support for us means support for a wide range of diverse charities from across the region, resulting in a significant impact for a large number of communities and service users.
Martin Singer
