THE founder of a group which gives lonely elders in Swindon care homes friends to chat with has been honoured by the Queen.

Norman Edwards started Care Home Volunteers in Salisbury in 2014 to recruit people who can have one-to-one sessions with those who spend their twilight years alone in retirement facilities around the county.

In eight years, he has seen the group grow to cover Chippenham, Swindon, West Wiltshire, Bath and North-East Somerset with around 100 volunteers out and about at any one time, with others receiving training in safeguarding and dementia care.

In recognition of his efforts and the dedicated volunteers who have made the charity so successful, Norman has been made a Member of the British Empire in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List before he steps down.

He told the Adver: “I’m so pleased. I was really surprised to learn a few weeks ago about this honour.

“It’s come to me but in reality, it’s an award for everyone who works with us and recognition that there is a need for our service. It’s a difficult and expensive job which is not for everyone and requires a lot of support and in the end, it’s all down to the quality of the volunteers we get.

“They have worked so hard. They get recognition from us and the people they visit but having something wider than that is very important to them and the people who work with us."

Norman used to be a teacher and chair of governors before he and three others decided to set up Care Home Volunteers because they had seen how the elderly can feel lonely and isolated.

He added: “Carers are very good but can be very busy so they, understandably, don’t have time to sit down and talk one-to-one with someone for half an hour or so.”

With connections to care homes with 5,000 residents altogether, the group wants to have a national presence by 2025 and reach every care home in the country, acting as an umbrella group for other regional groups which might pop up around the country.

Before the pandemic, the volunteers carried out 2,500 one-to-one befriending visits, then when Covid hit the UK, they fundraised for iPads so they could keep in touch over the phone, and wrote letters to them.

The charity is supported by Wiltshire Council and relies on donations and grant funding to continue meeting demand.

Also awarded an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours was Swindon's Rebekah Honor Joan Hartley the manager of Great Western Railway's Project Phoenix.

She was given the award for services to the Covid-19 response.