A MUCH-used service that supports lonely pensioners in Keighley can expand thanks to a £207,000 lottery grant.

Keighley Volunteer Centre will be able to employ an extra worker and recruit more volunteers for its over-subscribed CarelinK befriending service.

The charity hopes to make inroads into its long waiting list as well as provide home visits for older people with dementia for the first time.

The money from the Big Lottery Fund's Reaching Communities programme will be spent over the next three years in addition to funding currently received from Bradford Council.

Centre manager Gary Pedley said the need for both sets of funding was vital due to ever-increasing demand on the CarelinK Befriending Scheme.

He said: “There are so many older people waiting to be befriended. The needs are growing year on year.

“It’s quite evident that we’re not meeting full demand. Older people are becoming isolated and they’re suffering the consequences in terms of their health.

“We’re not only befrienders, we’re the eyes and ears. The feedback we get is tremendous, and the benefits for the elderly people are positive.

“Without our volunteers there really wouldn’t be a service. They are so committed, willing and caring.”

CarelinK currently has about 50 volunteers who every week visit older people across the Keighley constituency. There are a further 30 people on the waiting list.

Some befrienders visit their clients in their homes, others take them out on trips, and once a month everyone is invited to socialise together for a day at the Temple Row Centre in Keighley.

CarelinK was set up about eight years ago with an initial three years’ lottery funding, and since then there have been grants from various sources.

Mr Pedley said: “This new lottery grant enables us to continue the service and develop it further. The numbers we hope will significantly increase this year and we can make inroads into the waiting list.

“The only alternative for some people is to go into residential homes, but it costs a lot more to keep them in a home and support them there.”

Mr Pedley said the new staff member would also be able to visit older people on the waiting list who could not be helped in the past.

He explained: “We can also focus on befriending people who are hard to place with volunteers. It’s not easy to find someone who can befriend someone with dementia.

Mr Pedley is keen to hear from anyone interested in volunteering as a befriender. Email maureen@keighleyvc.co.uk or call 01535 609506 for further information.