Life Story Researcher and Befriender

About this opportunity

Are you interested in researching stories from the past?Do you enjoy listening to people and sharing experiences?

Do you have a kind caring nature?

Do you want to give something back to your local community?

If so, this is the role for you!

We require volunteers who can help our residents record their life stories and be a Befriender on a weekly basis, for up to one hour.

This role involves listening and recording information received from our residents. This will be a one to one role usually in the privacy of their apartment.

This role will be a minimum of 4 months commitment on a weekly basis.

We require volunteers who have empathy and understanding of Older People and who have a genuine interest in sharing time on a weekly basis with someone.

• You will be reliable and punctual
• Flexibility
• You will have a clear sense of personal boundaries
• You will provide a supportive and non-judgemental service
• A willingness to engage with training and development
• You will have a good understanding of your personal strengths and limitations
• You’ll be able to maintain confidentiality

We are based in Southampton at Retirement Housing , Hebron Court. We are 5 minutes walk from Rail and Bus routes.

We do require two references and a DBS check will be done, due to the vulnerability of Older People in our care. Additionally, we provide full training and the opportunity to gain valuable experience.

If you are interested we would love you to meet you in the first instance and you can meet the team.

Please note, whilst we do our best to keep information as up-to-date as possible, over time community services may change some details such as dates, times, and locations. The information we share is therefore subject to change. Our goal is to showcase available support services within the city. However, inclusion in this database does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation of any organisation. Click here to read our full disclaimer.

If you find any errors, please let us know by emailing Community@southamptonvs.org.uk  so we can amend the incorrect information.

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Privacy statement:
We take your privacy seriously and will only use your personal information to support you in your volunteering and to provide the services you have requested from us." However, from time to time we would like to contact you with details of other services or information that we believe would be of interest to you. If you consent to us contacting you for this purpose please tick to say how you would like us to contact you:


We will only share your information with organisations related to your volunteering or the the services you have requested from us. We may, however, be legally required to share your personal information for the purposes of safeguarding or the prevention, investigation, detection, or prosecution of criminal offences. If there is a need to pass your details onto any other organisations, we will ask for your consent prior to sharing any personal data." For more information about the personal data we hold, who we might share your information with, and how your can access this information, please email information@southamptonvs.org.uk.

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