We help and train volunteers to set up properly constituted, insured schemes that meet a growing need. We also help and advise existing schemes, when required. Schemes cover a wide range and include lunch clubs or coffee mornings, independent day centres, community car schemes offering door-to-door transport, wardens to visit people not in sheltered housing, book cafes, help schemes - we try to be flexible and help set up what's needed and possible in the local circumstances.

The number of older people is rising. Some become isolated when they can no longer drive, or maybe lose mobility. People are usually great at helping their neighbours, but vulnerable people don't always have - or want to depend on - family or good neighbours to help. Also, in our rual areas, there is often little public transport and local services are closing so there are less places to meet.

We have four part-time development officers, one in each rural district of Cambridgeshire, and they each aim to set up roughly two new good neighbour schemes per year. The rest of their time is spent advising existing schemes and helping with practicalities like police checks, publicity, volunteer recruitment, constitutions, grant-finding, training and so on.