A Burnham-On-Sea community group that is helping to tackle loneliness and isolation among local care home residents with deliveries of letters and postcards is continuing to grow.
Women Who Write started earlier this year and involves a small group of volunteers of all ages writing letters and postcards to those who may feel lonely or isolated.
The group is now delivering to the Royal National Institute of Blind’s Kathleen Chambers House in Burnham’s Berrow Road and has even been getting some lovely homemade cards and poetry from the residents to distribute to others.
The group is also in contact with Burnham Hospital to see if it can work with them in the future alongside other local care homes include Frith House.
Volunteer Hel Brodie told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “It has been fantastic seeing this project grow. Our youngest writer Layla is 7 years old, and everybody has a smile when they read about her day. To our knowledge our oldest writer is 99 years young.”
“The project benefits our volunteers as much as our recipients. Julie B, who hesitantly started writing poetry only a few months ago, has since performed her poetry live at BoSFest. Several of our contributors say how much they enjoy just taking some time out of their day to sit and write, especially as they know the difference that their letters and cards make.”
The group also has a ghost writer who captures the adventures of Mati the dog, and the residents eagerly await the latest story.
They also have some very talented locals making gorgeous hand-made cards, including drawings with their letters and even holders to put a tea bag in, so the residents can enjoy a ‘cup of cheer’.
Helen adds: “As well as local writers we also have correspondence being mailed to us from Lyndsay in Lincolnshire and Fiona from Cumbria. Fiona’s lovely letters have been very well received, as has her origami, and we are so glad to have her onboard.”
“Our latest inquiry has been from Tony Fisher from Derbyshire who is, with Art Council funding, working on a project on a Loneliness and Isolation project. He was coming to Burnham to see our chat bench and came across WWW.”
“We were very happy to meet with him and talk about what we are doing. He took the opportunity on this trip to grab a photograph and sound bite from our volunteers and will be returning to meet some of our recipients to find out exactly what it means to them to receive their correspondence.”
If anyone else would like to join, mail can be dropped in to St Andrew’s Church where there is a collection box just inside, or if further away mail can be delivered via the vicarage at The Vicarage, 38 Rectory Road, Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset TA8 2BZ.
Pictured: The group’s volunteers (Photo Tony Fisher) and some of the cards and letters sent by the Burnham group.
