Support at home

Community Butterfly Volunteers provide companionship to people who are dying at home, and support for the family members, friends and carers alongside them.

Our trained volunteers give their time to sit, listen, talk or simply be there, providing an extra layer of support alongside the care someone is already receiving.

If you think this support could help you, or someone you are caring for, our team is here to help.

Call us on 01438 873257 or email communitybutterfly@annerobsontrust.org.uk.

What is the Community Butterfly Volunteer Service?

For many years, we’ve worked with the NHS and healthcare charities across the country to help them establish teams of specialist end of life volunteers within hospitals and other care settings.

Our Community Butterfly Volunteer Service brings this award winning model into the homes of people who are dying in Stevenage and the surrounding villages.

Working alongside clinical teams, trained volunteers spend time with people who are dying in their own homes, providing companionship and a listening ear. They can also support those closest to the person who is dying, including family members, friends and carers.

How can a Community Butterfly Volunteer help?

A Community Butterfly Volunteer can:

• Be there with someone who is dying, so they don’t have to face those moments alone

• Offer time to talk, share memories, or simply sit quietly together

• Bring companionship and human connection when someone may be feeling lonely or isolated

• Listen to and support family members, friends and carers during an incredibly difficult time

• Stay with the person who is dying, giving those caring for them the chance to rest, take a break or simply step outside for a while

Every person and every family is different, so the support a Community Butterfly Volunteer offers will be shaped around what matters most to them.

Support alongside existing care

Community Butterfly Volunteers don’t provide medical or personal care. They don’t replace doctors, nurses, carers or other health and care professionals.

All Community Butterfly Volunteers receive comprehensive training and ongoing support from the Anne Robson Trust.

Who can we support?

You can get in touch if you are dying and would like some extra companionship and support at home, or if you are worried about someone close to you who is dying.

You might be:

• Looking for support for yourself

• Worried about a family member, partner or friend

• Caring for someone who is dying and feeling you could use some support too

• A healthcare or care professional looking for additional support for someone you are caring for

You don’t need to know whether our service is right for you before you contact us. Talk to us about what’s happening, and we’ll help you work out whether a Community Butterfly Volunteer could help.

Make a referral

The Community Butterfly Volunteer Service is expected to launch in October 2026.

Once the service is live, we will be accepting referrals from health and social care professionals, as well as from people looking for support for themselves or someone close to them.

After a referral is received, a member of our team will get in touch to talk through the person’s circumstances, explain how the service works and discuss whether support from a Community Butterfly Volunteer could be helpful.

We’ll share more information about how to make a referral when the service launches in October.

Become a Community Butterfly Volunteer

Could you be there for someone when they need it most?

Community Butterfly Volunteers are local people who give their time to support people who are dying, and those close to them. Sometimes that means talking and listening. Sometimes it means sharing memories. And sometimes it simply means sitting quietly beside someone so they are not alone.

You don’t need any previous experience. We’ll give you the training and support you need.

Find out Community Butterfly Volunteering