A woman whose brother died during Covid is leading an appeal for ‘home support’ volunteers in north London to visit children in their homes who have a life-threatening illness.

Noah’s Ark children's hospice in High Barnet has put a call out for help from people in Enfield, Harrow and Brent as well as Barnet itself.

Meena Vencatasawmy, a ‘home support’ volunteer in Enfield, took up the baton from her brother Pramod who had worked for the hospice in his spare time over several years.

“He sadly died during Covid and I felt I wanted to continue the connection that he started,” Meena explained.

“I have a background in nursing and midwifery and wanted to do something more in community-focused healthcare.”

She regularly visits a child with a life-threatening condition in their home.

“We look forward to seeing each other,” Meena added. “The family thanks me for coming — but I feel like I should be thanking them. It’s a simple thing but meant so much to them.”

Becoming a ‘home support’ volunteer makes a difference to the children and their families, the hospice points out, which in return helps volunteers develop their knowledge and skills, whether for just a few hours or a couple of days a week.

The ‘home support’ programme was started at Noah’s Ark in 2008 to help families cope with the demands of constant care. It provides practical and social support to the families, from helping siblings with their homework and playing games to simply being a spare pair of hands to help with household jobs like cleaning and gardening. 

Noah’s Ark chief executive Sophie Andrews said: “The lives of these families are not easy — having someone to ease the pressure is invaluable by supporting them in their home.

“Volunteers have a positive impact on the families. This programme makes a huge difference to the children and the families we support.”

Becoming a ‘home support’ volunteer in the community also helps relieve pressure on hospice services.

Details of how to become a volunteer are on the “noahsark.com” website or by calling 020-8449 8877, alternatively emailing “volunteering@noahsarkhospice.org.uk”.