A Holbeach teen has been given an award for being a great friend to the elderly.
Matthew Simons has completed 52 hours of volunteering by heading into St John’s and Fenchurch House care homes in Spalding to sit and talk with residents.
The 18-year-old was one of 30 Spalding Grammar School pupils trained by the Newmarket charity YOPEY to befriend and bring comfort to elderly care home residents, many of whom live with dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.
The YOPEY Befrienders put in over 200 hours of visits giving nearly 300 hours of their time.
Recently Matthew was given a special certificate by the High Sheriff of Lincolnshire David Chambers and one by Tony Gearing, the founder of YOPEY, who described the teen as “a great friend to the elderly”.
Matthew is awaiting his A-Level results and hopes to study conservation biology at Leeds University.
“I learned a lot about how people cope in old age and about the challenge of dementia and living the best live they can with these diseases,” he said.
Proud Sixth Form Director, Adriana Leadbeater, attended the awards ceremony along with her deputy, Alex Dearing.
Dr Leadbeater said: “Being a YOPEY Befriender is a great way for students to give back and see life outside the ‘teenage bubble’.
“They also learn respect for their elders.”
