At the end of an answerphone in the Emsworth Surgery, clients leave messages for help in putting up their curtains, or a request just for a good old natter.

Emsworth Good Neighbours is the organisation set up to help these people in need.

Behind the scenes, founder Lorna Gale has been working hard since day one to ensure the organisation stays afloat.

"I was widowed 18 years ago and after a couple of years of getting myself sorted, I felt I had to do something with my life," she said.

"When we started we just wanted to help people. There is a great need for people to help others. There are a lot of older people around and we cannot always get to them."

She set up the group in 1996 and now has an army of volunteers more than 100-strong to help out with all the requests – but they always need more.

The group averages six jobs a week and sometimes there are the odd requests which are asking just a little too much.

Mrs Gale added: "We have to turn down some requests – we were once asked if we could take somebody to visit family in Dorset over Christmas, and then pick them up again to bring them back.

"We deal only with people in Emsworth, and a lot of it is to do with the doctor's surgery or taking people to hospital.

"The people are very grateful and we sometimes get letters of thanks from those we help.

"All the volunteers are outgoing people who want to do something with their lives to help people. They have got the time to do it."

The organisation is split between a group of six co-ordinators who find the right volunteer for each specific job.

Co-ordinator Julie Price juggles the work between training to be a priest.

She said: "There are some people who do not know what help is available. Certainly for things like shopping, there are already people out there who are doing that for their neighbours.

"But there are people around who have not got that support, and that is where we come in.

"The volunteers come to us maybe because they feel they have been lucky in life and want to offer something back to the community.

"I cannot speak glowingly enough of our volunteers.

"The amount of time they give to the organisation is up to them.

"They are just ordinary people who have a heart to help. They are just amazing. Some of our volunteers are truly incredible – they give up so
much of their time.

"We have a vast spectrum of people who help us. They are all wonderful and want to help.

"Perhaps, like me, they have a faith and want, as part of that faith, to help the community outside.

"I would like to thank all the people who do volunteer because without them this would not work.

"If there is anybody out there who feels it is something they would like to find out more about, give us a call."

The organisation runs on voluntary donations from the clients they help, and to save any embarrassment all the donations are made anonymously into an envelope at the end of task.

For more information, or to put in a request, call the answerphone on 01243 430999 and leave a message with your name and phone number.