Did you, or do you know someone who’s gone over and above to support neighbours, family and friends over the winter period?

The winter season can be challenging at the best of times. It can be especially challenging if you’re alone and have no one to support you.

The ‘Community Friends’ scheme aim is to create a spirit of neighbourliness to help bring communities together. You can help in many ways, such as checking in on older neighbours to check they are warm and well, helping with food shopping, collecting prescriptions or taking older neighbours to GP appointments and clearing snow from doors and paths or gritting side roads and paths.

Dr Zak McMurray, local GP and CCG Medical Director said, “This was a particularly important scheme for winter as it encourages people to support their friends, family or neighbours and offer them help wherever they may need it. Looking in on an elderly neighbour can make a huge difference, helping to prevent loneliness and making sure they are safe and warm."

If you know someone who has gone above and beyond to look after a neighbour or friend through the winter months and want to say ‘thank you’, you can nominate them as a ‘community friend’. To nominate someone, visit www.sheffieldccg.nhs.uk and click on the ‘involve me’ tab or email sheccg.comms@nhs.net or call 0114 305 1212.

All of the ‘community friends’ will receive a certificate, as a thank you from their nominee and the NHS.

Sheffield City Council have also produced a ‘snow your neighbour you care’ card to help kind-hearted people offer help to vulnerable people this winter. Designed to act as an ice-breaker and a way for people to introduce themselves, the card is for people to put their details on and post through an older person’s door, or use to start off a chat. Look out for them in venues across the city.