Our story so far
From Kerala
to Croydon
Our story so far
Compassionate Neighbours was inspired by the concept of Compassionate Communities in Kerala, India. It was introduced to the UK to replicate a similar programme to the one in Kerala which is underpinned by public health principles – by emphasising the importance of collective responsibility of society and community, and promoting and protecting the health and well-being of all community members, including those who are dying.
The Compassionate Neighbours programme has since been adopted by a growing number of UK hospices. The various projects have undergone a number of research studies over time that show clearly the impact is significant for the Community Member, but also the Compassionate Neighbour. Both people feel more connected to their community, feel less socially isolated and this has a big impact on their health and wellbeing.
For hospices, Compassionate Neighbours is a great way to engage with sections of local communities that hospices traditionally have not always connected. Compassionate Neighbours is a way for hospices to become more inclusive and diverse with local people and volunteers. It also enables hospices to test different approaches to volunteering without destabilising the more traditional volunteering roles that hospices rely on – and hospices report applying their learning from the Compassionate Neighbours project and approach to training to other areas of volunteering. Hospices also report that the Compassionate Neighbours project can open doors to engaging with other organisations and communities, and to new sources of funding.
Did you know?
Many community members felt more connected to their community
Compassionate Neighbours spend 1 hour a week on average with their community member
14 hospices run Compassionate Neighbours schemes across the UK
A significant number of people have been matched through Compassionate Neighbours.