Re-engage Call Companion volunteer Claire Spinola was astonished to discover that the older person she had been matched with was a distant relative. 

Claire’s family had a farmstead in Wexford in Ireland, not far from relatives of Jim, 86, who now lives in Swansea but still has connections to his former home. In fact, his father and Claire’s grandmother were born in the same year just along the road from each other in the tiny village - or townland - of Courtnacuddy - and they share the same surname.

Claire, 42, works in public relations and lives in Hemel Hempstead. She joined Call Companions in April 2026 after her parents died, and she wanted to connect with an older person she could help. Claire explained: “When I spoke to Jim, I obviously detected an Irish accent and asked where he was from. When he told me Wexford, I started looking into my family’s history because my mum lived there, and eventually I discovered Jim and I are third cousins. I was absolutely staggered. What an incredible coincidence!

“I love speaking to Jim because there is so much history there. I get a lot from our conversations and really enjoy having our chats. In fact, they've been so good that I'm now calling a second gentleman, George.” 

Jim, whose wife, Maureen died two years ago, said: “The last thing in the world I expected was to be talking to a distant relative. I was really taken aback and we had a good laugh about it.” 

Jim has five surviving children and several grandchildren, but he still often feels lonely. “I was married to Maureen for 64 years,” he said. “She was the most lovely woman you could find. She didn’t have a bad bone in her body. 

“In later years she suffered from dementia. I cared for her but once, she was found wandering the streets at 2am, and so she went into a care home. I didn’t want that, but it was for the best. 

“So, every day for three years, seven days a week, I did a 40-mile round trip to the care home to see Maureen and often I would stay five or six hours, but she didn’t know who I was.  

“I had to drive along the motorway which terrified me but I overcame the fear so I could be with her. In some ways I wish I was still making that journey now. I miss her terribly and every day I cry when I think of her. 

“I do have a big family and they come to see me yet I still get very lonely. But the calls from Claire are a great help. She rings me every Friday and I ask her to do it at a certain time so I can get down to the bookies to make a small bet. If I didn’t get out of the house I would go mad. 

“Claire is a smashing person and we talk about all kinds of everything. I’m so glad I get her calls. Your service is second to none. I really would recommend Re-engage to everyone. I have one of your badges and I wear it every day, that’s how pleased I am about it.”

Claire’s family history, which she discovered through genealogical research:  

• Both families trace back to neighbouring farmsteads in Courtnacuddy and Shroughmore (near Ballindaggin and Davidstown, Co. Wexford).  

• The Dunne heritage: Jim’s line stems from Thomas Dunne and Mary Doyle (married in 1896 in Davidstown), while Claire’s maternal line traces directly to Thomas Dunne and Mary Anne Brennan of Shroughmore (married in 1903).  

• Parallel generations: In 1909, Jim’s father (Nicholas Dunne) and Claire’s grandmother (Bridget Dunne) were born in the same year just down the road from one another in Courtnacuddy, before the families eventually made their way to Wales and England.  

• The family link: Jim and Claire's late mother, Catherine, share a direct branch on the family tree as second cousins - which connects Claire and Jim as second cousins once removed (or third cousins through the senior Courtnacuddy lines).