Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

40 Perthshire volunteers needed to help people like Marjorie

The charity Royal Voluntary Service needs help to support residents in communities across Perth and Kinross.

Marjorie Bridgwood and Healther Fletcher in Marjorie's Perth home.
Marjorie Bridgwood at home in Perth with her Royal Voluntary Service volunteer Heather Fletcher. Image: Kim Cessford / DC Thomson

Two Perthshire voluntary groups are urgently seeking help to improve the lives of local residents.

The charity Royal Voluntary Service needs 40 volunteers for it Supporting You At Home team in Perth and its Healthy, Happy Lives project in Perth, Crieff and Bridge of Earn.

Supporting You at Home provides practical and emotional help for people who are struggling with isolation.

Volunteers help with tasks like shopping, as well as bringing companionship to those recovering from illness or injury.

They include Heather Fletcher, who has been visiting Marjorie Bridgwood at her home in a Perth sheltered housing complex for the last two years.

Heather Fletcher helping Marjorie Bridgwood put away her shopping
Marjorie gets a hand with the shopping from Heather. Image: Kim Cessford / DC Thomson

Heather, 54, collects Marjorie’s shopping, helps her put it away and stays for a chat.

The visits were a boon when Marjorie, 85, was caring for her husband Philip.

And they’ve become even more important since his death earlier this year.

“I always look forward to Heather’s visits,” said Marjorie.

“The chat is just as important as the shopping.

“I know someone is coming that day, and that’s lovely.”

Marjorie Bridgwood smiling from her chair.
Marjorie looks forward to Heather’s visits. Image: Kim Cessford / DC Thomson

The visits are just as rewarding for Heather

The retired dentist also runs a lunch club in the city.

“It’s nice to be able to do something practical for someone,” said Heather.

“I would absolutely recommend volunteering. It’s a great organisation and we’re made to feel very supported.”

Royal Voluntary Service busy across Perth and Kinross

The other Royal Voluntary Service scheme, Healthy, Happy Lives, helps older people in Perth, Bridge of Earn and Crieff to stay active in their communities.

Volunteers are needed to help out with social activities, lunches and healthy snacks, and to assist with strength, balance and mobility boosting exercises.

We’re passionate about making sure our volunteers reap the many rewards of volunteering too

Sarah Murray, RVS Scotland

Volunteers will be part of a team helping older people of all abilities to live as independently as they can.

The service boosts physical function, confidence and wellbeing by providing people with physically and mentally stimulating activities.

Sarah Murray, health and community operations manager for Royal Voluntary Service in Scotland, said: “Just giving a couple of hours a week can make a real difference to the health, happiness and wellbeing of local people across Perth and Kinross.

“All of our volunteers receive detailed inductions and training to help them get the best out of their roles, because we’re passionate about making sure our volunteers reap the many rewards of volunteering too.”

Heather Fletcher in conversation with Marjorie Bridgwood
Heather says RVS volunteers feel supported. Image: Kim Cessford / DC Thomson

Royal Voluntary Service is one of Britain’s largest volunteering charities with volunteers supporting the NHS and thousands of vulnerable people in the community.

The charity also works in local communities running home libraries, companionship support, home from hospital services and patient transport.

Its Virtual Village Hall provides online activities and classes to promote wellbeing and keep people active.

To sign up, or find out more go to the volunteering section on the Royal Voluntary Service website.

Conversation