Our special pen pal initiative ‘Yours Sincerely’ was developed by a group of young volunteers aged 14-18, and aims to bring 'sunshine in an envelope' to older people through letters, cards or pictures sent in the post.

The service is provided entirely by volunteers, and forms part of the A Good Life programme, which is designed to reduce loneliness and social isolation in older people.

Anyone living in Poole or Bournemouth and aged over 65 can take part in the initiative - just get in touch using the details below. Stamps are provided and we can even arrange for someone to collect letters from those who are not able to get out of the house.

Letters can also include small knitted items, pieces of art, poems etc so if anyone would like to help with making and donating, these they would be gratefully received.

Our young volunteers write letters to people aged over 65. You can register as an individual or couple, including carers or family members. The recipients write back unless you are unable to do so, for example if you have a medical condition which makes it difficult, we will still send you some sunshine in an envelope!

All letters will be sent via Community Action Network and checked before being sent on; that way we know the letters received will all be positive. Addresses won’t be shared between pen pals.

Yours Sincerely referral form

If you or someone you know would like to take part, please complete the referral form above and email it to [email protected] or post to:

Yours Sincerely
Community Action Network
Boscombe Link, 3-5 Palmerston Road
Bournemouth, BH1 4HN       

About the Yours Sincerely project

Created in April 2020 during the Covid 19 pandemic, the Yours Sincerely project has been developed with a group of young volunteers aged 14-18 with the support of experienced staff from Community Action Network.

As many of our wonderful young volunteers know what it's like to feel lonely, they recognise that the over 65s age group are affected the most by loneliness, and wanted to do something to show older people that they are not alone. They decided to create a pen pal scheme as the most inclusive way to reach people while keeping safe. It is based on a similar project in North Dorset called The Jolly Postal Service who shared their model with us.

It’s a way for everyone involved to feel connected to their communities and to benefit from interaction with people from a different generation.

Contact us about Yours Sincerely

For further information or if you have any questions about the project, please contact us:

Tel:01202 466130  E: [email protected] 

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