Our call companions service was introduced during the Covid-19 lockdown to maintain vital links with older people to reduce loneliness and isolation.

It has proved hugely successful, with nearly 80% of our older people saying the calls make them feel happier - and they are also a boost for our volunteers who make the calls.

Jennifer Williams, 37, has been a call companion to Jackie for two years and gets huge satisfaction from speaking to her.

“The calls put everything into perspective,” said Jackie, a quantity surveying consultant who lives in Somerset with husband Matt, three dogs, two cats and one lizard. “I have a very supportive family so I can’t imagine how difficult it must be for Jackie who lives alone and has no one there for her.

“The calls are important to her but they also mean a lot to me. I always feel better after I’ve spoken to Jackie. At the start she might say she only feels like chatting for a short while but then we get into a conversation and before we know it we’ve been on the line for quite a while.

“She loves to talk about the monarchy and always starts off asking how our pets are. Jackie is very easy to talk to and we are building a good relationship.”

Jennifer, who went gorilla-tracking in Uganda during her travels when younger, is currently working on a development at a former RAF base in Swindon where thousands of items from the Science Museum Group Collection are stored.

“They’re planning to turn it into a visitor centre for schools,” added Jennifer. “It’s a very interesting place. Whenever a museum has a change of display they move items to the base. They’ve got all kinds of things there - old cars, telephones that our parents might have had, and even notes about the manned moon landing.”