ON Valentine’s Day, The Northern Echo featured the story of Miranda Wheeler and Bob Corriea, and the match-making service with a difference that brought them together.

They became friends through the Alzheimer’s Society’s Side by Side scheme, which aims to help dementia sufferers meet people with similar interests.

Miranda, 23, from Bowburn, in County Durham, has been meeting former engineer and accordionist Bob, 91, from Newton Hall, Durham City, since last March, and the pair regularly attend concerts, visit the pub and listen to music together.

Both say they look forward to their outings, and having a good gossip.

One of the key aims of Side by Side is to help tackle the feelings of isolation that those living with dementia often experience.

Research by the Alzheimer’s Society has found nearly two-thirds of people with dementia who live alone are lonely, and a similar proportion feel anxious or depressed.

The campaign was first piloted in 2014, after research found people with dementia were more at risk of loneliness.

A third said they’d lost friends since their diagnosis, and a few didn’t even tell friends they had dementia. And while two-thirds of people with dementia still live in the community, many feel trapped in their own homes.

The charity is trying to change all that, and hopes to recruit as many volunteers as possible.

The initiative pairs people based on shared interests, and asks volunteers to accompany a dementia sufferer to something they’d like to do – going to a football match or a garden centre with them, walking in the park, or keeping them company while going shopping.

It could even be as simple as having a chat on the phone, as the scheme is also looking for volunteers to call people with dementia.

Retired banker and married mum-of-two Elaine Greenwood, 53, of Rickleton, in Washington, Tyne and Wear, has been a Side by Side volunteer for more than a year.

She says: “After retiring from banking I wanted to give something back so I got involved initially for just six weeks in order to accompany a 64-year-old woman with dementia on trips to Beamish Museum.

“I enjoyed it so much that I didn’t want to stop. What began as a small commitment turned into a genuine friendship and before I knew it six weeks became a year.

“One of the activities we did regularly together was to go swimming and it brought about a remarkable transformation in her. The only way I can describe it is to say that once she got into the pool, dementia left the building.

“Sadly, her condition worsened over the 12 months I knew her and after a while swimming became an unsuitable occupation so we did other things.

“Unfortunately I’m not able to meet with her anymore as she has now moved from her former home in Chester-le-Street to a care home in the south of England. However, I want to continue as a Side by Side volunteer and I’m waiting to be matched with another client.”

Elaine says when she first enquired about becoming a Side by Side volunteer she did so with a certain amount of trepidation.

But she adds: “I formed a real friendship with this woman and I can honestly say I got as much out of our get-togethers as she did.”

Elaine’s words are echoed by Carole MacMurtrie, Durham’s Side by Side community support manager, who says: “Side by Side is a wonderful service that makes such a big difference to the wellbeing of a person with dementia.

“But it’s also something that volunteers tell us they benefit from too. And it’s not a big commitment – most volunteers give about two hours of their time once a week.”

Activities enjoyed by volunteers and service users range from pursuing hobbies such as arts and crafts to continuing playing golf or walking.

Carol is hoping to recruit more volunteers in the coming weeks. She says: “There is a waiting list of people wanting to use the service so we are urging anyone who would like to know more about volunteering to get in touch. It can be suitable for a wide range of people, from those who are retired to students wanting to understand more about dementia and everyone in between.

“It can make such a difference to people’s lives and gives a lot of satisfaction to the volunteer too.”