Gofal is Welsh for care and it’s also the name of the initiative the British Red Cross gives to its digital storytelling and befriending project for older people in north Wales.

The British Red Cross says “volunteers visit vulnerable older people in their homes for up to 12 weeks, helping them to combat loneliness and isolation and encourage social interaction by linking them up with services and social groups in their local communities.”

The focus for the project is digital storytelling, where people tell a short personal story over their own images. Sue Whalley, Red Cross senior team leader, says that “the idea behind the digital storytelling was to get people out of the house, meeting other people, and doing something different and fulfilling. Many on the course came from not knowing anything about computers to producing a really professional DVD. The hope is they now feel more confident to use computers in the future.”

It’s great to see a project like this coming out of the British Red Cross Abergele offices on the industrial estate on the old Llanddulas road. More info on the British Red Cross site…