The South and Vale Carers Centre offers valuable support, advice and information for those looking after frail and vulnerable people but there is a new service, a volunteer scheme, being set up at the centre, which is housed in a charming old house in Didcot.

Co-ordinator of the scheme, Chris Elliott, carefully assesses volunteers for respite care. He assesses their suitability as companions to clients recovering from a stroke, dementia, or may simply be elderly and infirm. The volunteers will be sitting in for carers who are in need of some well deserved time off. Chris visits candidates before inviting them to an interview and, if they are successful, she asks them to attend a short training course and agree to a Criminal Records Bureau check.

Most volunteers prefer to cover a specific patch, although some cover the whole area of South Oxfordshire and the Vale of the White Horse. Some volunteers visit in the evenings or at weekends, while some can only visit in the daytime.

Chris said: “This doesn’t mean that volunteers always find themselves reading a book while the client naps — some of our clients are very lively. One of our first volunteers found her client made her a cup of tea and lent her a book to read, when she had been expecting all that to be the other way round.”

Most volunteers meet their clients for one afternoon a month, but Chris is developing a system where volunteers can be called on at shorter notice.

A similar scheme is running in Oxford, co-ordinated by Alan Steer, and he and Chris meet regularly to compare notes. As relative beginners, they often consult their colleague Elaine Gilbert, who has been organising her volunteer scheme from the Banbury Carers Centre, covering North and West Oxfordshire, for the past five years, and running it with great success.

“Elaine seems to have the answer to any problem, and shares her experience generously,” said Chris.

Witney Hospital also has a carers’ centre on Monday and Wednesday mornings.

At the South and Vale Carers Centre, manager Eleanor Cowan is keen to see the service expand. The centre is open from 9am to 4pm, Monday to Friday.

“We are delighted at people’s generosity with their time and look forward to recruiting more volunteers as they come home refreshed from their summer holidays,” she said.

If you feel that you could help stand in for carers by offering respite care, or if you just need more information, call Chris on 01235 510212, or Alan on 01865 205192, or Elaine at 01295 264545.

To contribute to the Voluntary Voice column, contact Oxfordshire Community and Voluntary Action by email at voluntaryvoice@ocva.org.uk