Two volunteers from Greater Manchester have been honoured for their efforts to support lonely older people.
Amel Kathrada, a mum of three, and Rohan Young, a neurodiversity consultant, were selected from nearly 100 nominees to receive a prestigious £250 Marsh Award from the charity Re-engage.
Amel, 44, from Heald Green, Stockport, helps run free monthly tea parties for a group of older people who are in their eighties and nineties.
And Rohan, 47, from Heald Green, Chorlton, is a call befriender for Re-engage, making regular calls to three lonely older people every week.
He appeared on ITV’s Good Morning Britain recently when he came face to face with Rosemary Hope, 83, who he has been calling for a year but had never met.
Emily Mangroves, Head of Volunteering at Re-engage, which runs free tea parties, activity groups and call befriending services for those aged 75 and over who are lonely, said:
“Rohan is brilliant, kind and caring. He’s a star. Nothing is ever too much trouble for him. He makes regular calls to three of our older people and they all love talking to him. People like Rohan don’t come along very often.”
Rohan, who lives in Whitelow Road, Chorlton said:
“I’m really grateful to get this award for something I enjoy doing so much. I feel I’m helping because Rosemary, Andrew and Margaret all seem to have grown in confidence. They are all such interesting people. I look forward to my ‘Re-engage Fridays’ when I get to speak to each of them.
“The conversations are always relaxed and we talk about anything and everything, including politics.”
Amel has been a Re-engage volunteer for sixteen years, running two groups in Sale and Cheadle. Once a month volunteers drive ten older people to a host’s homer where free tea, cake and sandwiches are laid on.
Amel, who is also a qualified accountant and swimming instructor, said:
“When my daughter was born there was a lot of Islamophobia and as a Muslim woman I wanted to give something back to my community and share joy and happiness.
“I thought I would volunteer as a driver for Re-engage for a short while but I just fell in love with the group and sixteen years later I’m still here spending time with the amazing ladies who come every month.
“I think I’m the lucky one because I get to spend time with fantastically special people who have such great insights to life.
“Many have become good friends and I hate dropping them back home knowing how isolated they may be.”
Katrina Slade, who helps Amel and nominated her for one of the awards, which were handed out this week to twelve Re-engage volunteers, said:
“She is warm, generous, compassionate and inspirational. She always puts older people at the heart of everything she does, ensuring they are connected and part of the community.”
And Helen Morten, who also volunteers for the charity, said:
“Amel is a firm favourite and goes out of her way to make sure everyone is happy. It feels great to give something back and that’s all down to Amel.”
Emily added:
“All of our thousands of volunteers do an exceptional job. But this year’s Marsh Awards winners have gone the extra mile to help reduce loneliness among our older people. Like Amel they have all shown extraordinary dedication and it’s humbling to hear just how generous, kind and helpful they have been.”
David Booker, ambassador for the Marsh Charitable Trust, said:
“It’s a pleasure to celebrate ordinary people doing extraordinary things, not for money but for the love of helping people.”
You can sign up to volunteer for Re-engage here: Volunteer to meet & help older people monthly: open to all ages
