Ask for help, or sign up to help
Someone nearby can help. Someone nearby needs you. Both things start the same way — a short form, then a phone call from a real person in Bristol.
Request a hand
Tell us what you need and roughly when. Nothing here is a commitment, and you don't have to explain why you need it. If you'd rather talk it through, the phone number is further down the page.
Become a helper
An hour a fortnight is plenty. You choose how far you'll travel and what you're happy to do, and you can say no to any request without giving a reason. We'll ask for two references and run a DBS check where the help involves driving or regular visits — we pay for it, and we walk you through it.
Prefer to call or come in?
Plenty of people would rather speak to someone than fill in boxes, and that's completely fine. Rowan and Delia share the coordinator desk, and one of them is on the phone during the hours below.
- Phone
- 0117 496 0188
- hello@neighbourlyhands.org
- Coordinator hours
- Monday to Thursday, 9.30am–4pm. Friday, 9.30am–1pm.
- Come and find us
- The Old Dairy, 14 Stanton Road, Bristol BS7 9PL. Step-free side entrance, buzzer marked Neighbourly Hands.
If we're out on a visit, leave a message with your name and number. We listen to the machine twice a day and we do ring back.
What happens after you press send
No automated queue, no reference number to quote. Here's the whole of it.
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1. We read it that day
Both forms land on the coordinator's desk, not in a shared inbox nobody owns. Requests marked urgent get looked at first.
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2. We call you back within two working days
A short, friendly call to check we've understood. For requests, we'll agree a time. For helpers, we'll talk through what you fancy doing and start the references.
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3. We make the match
We look for someone close by who's free when you need them. You get their first name before they arrive, and they carry a Neighbourly Hands card.
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4. We check in afterwards
A quick call or text to ask how it went. If the pairing worked, we'll keep you together. If it didn't, say so — we'll try someone else, no awkwardness.
I filled the form in on the Sunday evening feeling a bit daft about it. Delia rang on the Tuesday morning, and by Thursday a chap called Omar had driven me to the eye clinic and back. He's driven me three times since.
Maureen, Horfield
Other ways to pitch in
Not everyone has a free hour on a weekday, and not every useful thing is a visit to someone's door.
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The Tuesday drop-in
Every Tuesday, 10am to midday, at The Old Dairy. Tea, biscuits, and someone to sit with while you sort out a letter or just ask a question. Nobody signs anything. Come once or come weekly.
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Donate a vehicle hour
If you have a car, a van or a cargo bike and an hour spare, we'll match it to a lift or a bulky pick-up. You tell us the hour; we fill it or we don't bother you. Fuel costs reimbursed at 45p a mile.
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Host a street sign-up
Put the kettle on, open your front room or your front garden for an hour, and we'll bring the forms and a coordinator. Most streets come away with four or five new helpers.
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Pass the number on
The quietest and most useful thing you can do. Give 0117 496 0188 to the neighbour who'd never ring us themselves. We'll take it gently from there.
Still deciding which form is yours?
Ring 0117 496 0188 and say so. Asking for help is an ordinary thing to do, and so is offering it. We'll work out the rest together.