Operating near the housebuilder’s Maylands Park and Kingsbourne developments in Nantwich, the Nantwich Buddies formed in March 2020 as a direct response to the first COVID-19 lockdown. Founder Liz Parkin felt there was a need to support isolated households with shopping and prescription collections, so she put a message on Facebook to see if anyone else would like to help.
The first 40 volunteers came from her immediate network of friends and family within the first three weeks. They began working with Cheshire East’s People Helping People team, which received calls from the general public asking for help. They soon exceeded 130 volunteers and helped over 230 households.
Liz Parkin, Founder of the Nantwich Buddies, said: “We will be five years old on the 23rd March, and we are proud to say we have exceeded over 40,000 volunteer hours and now offer two primary services: befriending and social groups for various sectors of the Nantwich and Rural CW5 community.
“The donation from David Wilson Homes will be utilised to make sure as many people as possible know about our two newest community groups – Menopause and Mojitos, and Chat with Pride. These groups were created to help bring the local community together and ensure people can build friendships across Nantwich.”
The two main services that the charity provides are a befriending service and organised social groups. With the befriending service, the Nantwich Buddies provide telephone and in-person assistance where up to three volunteers per household can offer residents of Nantwich company and friendship.
It runs many social groups throughout the week, encouraging people to get out of their homes and meet other people to help with their mental health and well-being.
The two newest community groups are Menopause and Mojitos, a peer support group which welcomes guest speakers to help women through their menopause journey, alongside Chat with Pride, an LGBTQ+ social group.
Liz added: “It is hugely important to donate to local organisations such as ours. We are very small, but we plug a big hole in the social services provision. Small organisations like the Buddies are usually very lean, and we can make a small amount of money go a very long way and directly impact the community we are supporting.
“Thank you to David Wilson Homes for this donation that will help us expand our services and social groups in the CW5 postcode.”
Claire Jarvis, Managing Director at David Wilson Homes North West, said: “We are proud to support the Nantwich Buddies on its mission to bring the people of Nantwich together and help tackle loneliness in our communities.
“We are committed to helping community organisations like this to make a positive impact on the areas in which we build new homes.”
To learn more about the charity and the various social groups that it runs, visit its website at Nantwich Buddies.
To find out more about any nearby developments, visit the website at David Wilson Homes in Cheshire.