Call Companion Siobhan doesn’t just check on Raymond when she makes her regular dial-ins. She also spends time talking to his partner, Audrey, who is his main carer. 

Ray, 78, from Nottingham, has had three heart attacks since 2024 and also suffers from diabetes and asthma, which means he is housebound and spends a lot of time sleeping. 

Audrey, 66, who has been his partner for five years, speaks to Siobhan before handing the phone to Ray. “She makes sure I’m okay because it can be tough sometimes being a main carer,” said Audrey. “She’ll spend a bit of time checking in with me and then talks to Ray, sometimes for an hour. 

“Both of us are so glad to get the calls, they really help us. Because of his condition, Ray sleeps a lot, but he insists on being woken up when Siobhan calls. He’s not what I would call a phone person, he sometimes doesn’t want to talk but it’s different with Siobhan. We have both developed a great rapport with her. 

“Ray sometimes gets very down but after speaking to Siobhan he brightens up. We really appreciate what she has brought to our lives. She’s a fabulous person and we both tell her we love her – and that’s not something you would usually hear Ray say.” 

Siobhan, who previously volunteered for the Samaritans, began making the calls in September 2025. 

Audrey added: “We were very pleasantly surprised to find we didn’t have to pay for this service and that it could carry on indefinitely. I’ve never come across something like this where you don’t have to pay. We had talks with another organisation which said it could make house calls but they wanted a lot of money.” 

Siobhan, 35, who lives in Ellesmere, Shropshire, said: “I like speaking to Ray and Audrey because you get a variety of conversation. From the first call we struck up a rapport so I see it as an occasion to have a nice chat. Audrey does sometimes find things difficult but they both seem happier and brighter by the time we’ve finished talking.”