As part of BBC Radio Stoke’s ‘Make a Difference’ campaign, CareLink team leader Linda Stone featured on the ‘Liz Ellis and John Acres at Breakfast’ earlier this week.
It was an opportunity to talk about CareLink and how our telephone befriending service is helping to tackle loneliness in Stoke-on-Trent.
“There can be a stigma attached to loneliness” explained Linda. “We don’t always like to admit we’re lonely but it can impact people across all walks of life. What we’re saying is, it’s okay to admit you’re lonely. It’s okay to reach out and ask for care and support”
Steve – originally a client and now also a CareLink volunteer – also took part in the interview. It was an opportunity for him to tell his story.
“I’m visually impaired. I’ve been living with sight loss for 15 years and became very reclusive, finding myself in a little world of my own. The Job Centre guided me in the direction of my doctors who recommended CareLink. It’s now getting me out of the house and I’m enjoying it. My advice to anybody in a similar situation would be to reach out to a charity like CareLink”
BBC Radio Stoke have been kind enough to provide us with the audio from the interview, now available on our YouTube channel, below.