Solving social isolation, one dog walk at a time

Every volunteer we train and match to an older person costs £60 - but the impact is truly life-changing. Our goal is to recruit 50 new volunteers this year to befriend 50 older people. But to do this we need to raise £3,000.

About us 

CareDogs is a small charity that aims to help older people build connections within their local community and feel less lonely and isolated. To do this, we match our volunteers and their dogs to members of the community aged over 55,to get out once a week for a dog walk and a chat. The CareDogs mission is to end social isolation and loneliness among older people, give local communities more intergenerational volunteering opportunities.

How dogs can help end isolation and loneliness

CareDogs strives to be as inclusive as possible in our mission to end loneliness among older people. We know the joy that interaction with a dog can bring, making it easier for people to chat with each other, and find common ground. The impact of meeting up with a friendly volunteer and their pet dog can have a profound impact on the older person’s quality of life. We understand that it isn’t possible for everyone to look after and live with a dog full-time, as our clients may be less mobile, or live in care homes where it’s not possible to have a dog.

Thankfully, we are able to make a difference and bring love into their lives. We want to be able to pair our clients with befriending volunteers (and their dogs) to visit weekly so that they can still enjoy the benefits of a dog walk or a cup of tea around a friendly, tail-wagging pooch. 

Meet Colin, Ellie and Fiona

Colin's partner passed away back in 2019. Having been a carer for her, his main community was with other carers. Now, CareDogs provides him with support and connection: ‘Colin has said it’s good to get out and exercise as he probably would not go on a walk on his own,' his volunteer, Fiona, tells us. 'We also speak to people en route about their dogs which he really enjoys. Ellie (my dog) also knows him now so gives him a friendly greeting when we meet up! Volunteering has really improved my life - as well as Colin's!' 

'Colin was glowing about the walks when I spoke to him last week,' his former Care supporter told us. 'I've sent him some other walks to go on during the week because he said he has started walking loads more as a result of his walks with Fiona. He used to drive everywhere before but now likes walking again!'

Why we need your help

Over 500,000 older people go a week without seeing or speaking to anyone at all (according to Age UK) and we know that pets improve our mental health (with 82.5% of people, according to the University of Rochester Medical Center, saying pets have a strong positive impact on their life) and scientific proof that stroking a dog releases ‘happy hormones’ of serotonin and oxytocin in our bodies increasing our sense of wellbeing.

The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the plight of older people and isolation and brought a new sense of community volunteering – something we would like to harness for the long term.

We are a volunteer led organisation with only one paid member of staff.  To help us extend our Befriending Scheme, we desperately need funding to recruit new volunteers and help promote our project within local communities to raise awareness amongst older people who may benefit from our befriending scheme. We aim to do this by: 

- Covering the costs of printing leaflets and placing ads in local newspapers to raise awareness amongst older people who may not use social or other digital media.
- Volunteer recruitment expenses, such as paying for DBS checks and providing training. We want to ensure our volunteers are properly equipped to provide support to older people.
- Volunteer expenses to help cover travel costs if needed, as we want volunteering to be open to everyone, regardless of their own financial circumstance.

Our values are kindness, community and unity. We believe we're stronger together – that's why we believe in a local solution to tackle a national problem, championing communities by building intergenerational connections in local areas to tackle loneliness.