Having had access to comfort and companionship via her three beloved rescue dogs growing up, Delphine knew firsthand how great an antidote dogs are to loneliness.
Not one to rest on her laurels when there’s meaningful work to be done, the idea of CareDogs was born: a unique service that would encourage dog owners to get stuck into their local communities by befriending those experiencing loneliness or social isolation. Not only would this provide a reason for older people to get out and do some exercise, but each CareDogs pairing is also bespoke to encourage new meaningful and intergenerational friendships that benefit the emotional wellbeing of both volunteer and service user.
CareDogs’ mission is to take on a sizeable societal challenge: to reduce loneliness and social isolation in older people through companionship and the all-important community support network, and secondly, to give dog owners a way to volunteer with their furry friends.
While science shows us that loneliness is proven to have devastating impacts on our mental and physical health, it’s worth highlighting that the issue is not exclusive to older people. With the Campaign to End Loneliness estimating that 45% of adults (that equates to twenty million people) in England feel "occasionally, sometimes or often lonely", the statistics demonstrate that when it comes to loneliness, we have a hugely challenging problem amongst people of all ages in Britain. By bringing together older people and a diverse network of volunteers, CareDogs aims to bridge the generational divide and enable opportunities for mutual support and friendship between people of all backgrounds and ages, from 18 to 88 and beyond!
Compelled by passion and purpose, Delphine applied to register with the Charity Commission back in 2018, but it wasn't until the day before Christmas Eve that she found out her application had been accepted and officially registered – the best Christmas present ever!
In the meantime, she knew she had to recruit a team to help her. Having met a charity Programme Development and Volunteer Management professional through a mentoring volunteer role, he subsequently became Delphine’s first recruit – who was able to bring his volunteer management skills, as well as his focus on impact and genuine change, to CareDogs. By July 2019, three more Trustees had joined, and Delphine hosted the first official CareDogs Trustee meeting. Later that year, the team threw their first fundraising event in the shape of a Christmas quiz and raffle under the arches at Loughborough Junction, south London.
As of 2022, the team comprises of eight Trustees, and CareDogs has recently run its pilot project with its first six pairs of volunteers, their dogs and our befriendee clients.
Born in Croydon and raised in a multicultural household (Delphine’s mother is Belgian and her father is Chinese), Delphine is a natural communicator and ‘people person’ who loved growing up in the bustling south London suburb. However, after researching how quickly the older population in the area is growing – and recognising how a shared love of dogs and companionship might offer a fantastic opportunity to bring the borough’s hugely diverse demographic together – Delphine decided upon five south London boroughs, to focus CareDogs’ efforts. Having already gained the support of various partner organisations and run a successful pilot project, the CareDogs team is excited about growing further and seeing Delphine’s vision – now the collective mission of CareDogs – become a reality.
If you share our passion for supporting older people facing loneliness or social isolation, and would like to get involved, please do get in touch! Whether it’s through volunteering or by making a donation, any support you can give would make all the difference. Similarly, if you know an older person who might benefit from having a befriending volunteer and their dog, we’d love to help.