Sheffield charity’s hunt for bilingual students to boost anti-loneliness work
A Sheffield charity hopes multi-lingual students will volunteer to help cut loneliness amongst older people in the city.
George Joseph is one of a handful of University of Sheffield students to sign up to Sheffield Church’s Council for Community Care’s (SCCCC) ‘Good Neighbour Scheme’, which matches volunteers with isolated, older residents.
The 23-year-old’s ability to speak Malayalam means he could in the future be matched to an older person whose alternative first language means they are isolated within their community.
George said: “I’ve been matched with a gentleman called Peter and I telephone him once a week.
“Peter has experienced the world much more than I have, so it’s really interesting to hear stories from his life. We also have similar interests such as motorbikes and cars, so conversations never dry up.
“I am fortunate that I am fluent in Malayalam, which is mainly spoken in the southern Indian state of Kerala. I’m hopeful that in the future I’ll be able to help a fellow Malayalam speaker whose language means they are even more cut off from their community than they might otherwise have been.”
Clinical trials and research ‘crucial’ to cancer sector’s COVID-19 recovery
Weston Park Cancer Charity has reaffirmed its commitment to support clinical trials and research to aid the cancer sector’s COVID-19 recovery, after figures suggested significant falls in cancer referral numbers and diagnoses during the pandemic.
The charity is ‘committed to helping improve outcomes’ for people living with cancer by supporting clinical trials to improve access to, and awareness of, treatments which could offer ‘a lifeline’ for people, particularly those living with incurable cancer.
While cancer services have been maintained in South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw throughout COVID -19, estimates suggest there were 7,000 fewer cancer referrals and 500 fewer diagnoses in the region between March and December 2020.
Weston Park Cancer Charity trustee, Professor Robert Coleman, Emeritus Professor of Medical Oncology, said: “The drop in cancer referrals and diagnoses during COVID -19 will inevitably lead to many cancers being diagnosed at a later stage, meaning that support for clinical trials and research is more important now than ever.
“Despite the challenges of the pandemic on income generation, clinical research and innovative patient support during and after cancer treatment will remain our top two priorities.
“Over the last decade, Weston Park Cancer Charity has invested more than £7.5 million into cancer research and was pivotal in the development of a purpose-built Cancer Clinical Trials Centre (CCTC) at Weston Park Cancer Centre which has brought new treatments to Sheffield.”
