Fresh appeal for volunteers to help charity which helps with loneliness across Stirling

A charity which aims to tackle loneliness across Stirling is on the hunt for more volunteers to help reach more people.

Raploch based organisation Inspiring Communities has been running since 2013 and has since expanded its operations into other areas around the city – including Cowie, Fallin and Plean.

Among the activities designed to help those feeling cut off from the world around them are creative writing classes, employability workshops and digital training groups designed to enhance and build skills.

Early years activities such as arts and crafts sessions are also available.

Currently, the project is running with 34 volunteers and claimed success at the Volunteer Friendly Awards in 2022 – but now they have launched a fresh drive for members to continue to assist delivery in Fallin, Plean and Cowie.

Susan Currie, project coordinator of Inspiring Communities, said: “We started Inspiring Communities to help people in Stirling improve their lives.

“With parts of this area in Scotland being very rural, people often live quite isolated lives and we wanted to create a space where people can access training and skills, whilst also connecting with others.

“Lockdown created more isolation than ever in our communities, and some people are still very much impacted by that.

“We exist to help people make a difference in their own lives by creating opportunities to interact with others, learn skills and ultimately live life as fully as possible.”

“We also offer family learning opportunities and early years activities as well as a lot of school based groups that give additional key support to children and families in areas that they need.

“By giving support to parents and caregivers to make changes and be more active, we are able to positively affect the lives of the children which acts as an early intervention to their pathway.

“It’s been fantastic to see the project grow and see how it’s helping people, both our volunteers and service users get a huge amount out of it.”

Volunteer Donnamarie Totten added: “Volunteering with Inspiring Communities really helps my mental health.

“I enjoy helping people and being part of a team, the staff are amazing. Everyone makes my daughter Holly feel welcome, she is disabled with complex and special needs.”

That story was echoed by Catherine Kennedy, who claims the charity has been invaluable in helping her to try to get back on her feet.

Catherine said: “The hub has been a godsend to me, so I am happy to have somewhere to go and able to get help with my Universal Credit and looking for jobs.

“I struggle with the computer and know that I can get help here.”

The charity’s call for new faces has been supported by Stirling MSP Evelyn Tweed who visited the service last month to find out more about its work.

Ms Tweed praised the project after visiting with volunteers and staff

Following the visit, Ms Tweed said: “It was fantastic to visit the Inspiring Communities Hub and meet all the wonderful people involved with this project.

“It was clear just by being in the room and talking to people just how positive a place this is. I would encourage anyone interested to have a look at their website or drop in to get involved.”