MP meets volunteers of local befriending service

* Susan Elan Jones MP meets volunteers from the Ymestyn service.

Clwyd South MP Susan Elan Jones recently met with volunteers from the Ymestyn – Reaching Out befriending service to offer her support and advice.

The service is active in the Llangollen and Glyn Ceiriog areas. 

It started in 2016 and has grown from strength to strength. 

Volunteers are trained by Nightingale House Hospice in Wrexham to support people in the community who feel lonely or are socially isolated and may suffer from ill health, mobility or age-related issues. 

They can visit people in their own homes or arrange short outings in the locality. There are plans to develop the service to include some social activities.

Before being elected to Parliament, Susan Elan Jones spent 15 years working for charities and is committed to using her expertise in this area as part of her parliamentary and constituency work. 

She is co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Charities and Volunteering and in March introduced the Charity Trustees (Time Off for Duties) Bill to Parliament.

Following the meeting, Ms Jones said: “It’s been fantastic to catch up with Ymestyn and hear about their latest news. 

"I think that supporting these excellent local groups is a very important and worthwhile part of my job as an MP. Ymestyn is a vital lifeline for people who feel lonely or isolated from their community and I am pleased to have had the opportunity to offer my advice and support."