Royal British Legion’s phone buddy service is battling loneliness

The volunteers are helping to lift the spirits of isolated and vulnerable people by keeping them connected to their community and veterans across the area can access the service.

One of the volunteers is former Army Staff Sergeant Dennis Woollons.

He said: “I’ve been involved with the Legion and the Poppy Appeal for almost 25 years. When I heard about the buddy scheme I realised that I was perhaps one of the lucky ones able to cope with the situation, but there might be people who would benefit from contact with someone with possibly similar lifetime experiences, so I decided to give it a go.” 

Dennis has been in contact with two D-Day veterans in North Yorkshire, both in their 90s. He said: “We talk about our service, of course, but also football, rugby league, the weather and we put the world to rights - we all get something out of it. They enjoy talking to somebody from their own era with similar experiences to them.”

The Legion’s Area Manager for Yorkshire, Debbie Harding, said: “The Covid-19 outbreak has created new challenges for those dealing with social isolation and those challenges have increased significantly over the last few weeks.

“But being at the heart of local communities, the Legion is providing support to so many people during this difficult time, reaching out through our incredible network of members, branches, staff and volunteers.

“We have seen an increase in the number of people struggling with feelings of loneliness and isolation, so the Legion is encouraging anyone who would like to talk to someone to join our telephone buddy scheme.

○Anyone who would like to access the Telephone Buddy scheme can contact the Legion on 0808 802 8080.

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