Head Student at Birkenhead Sixth Form College, Holly Brown, is one of the students who has volunteered to become a telephone befriender. BIG-HEARTED students from Birkenhead Sixth Form College are giving up their free time to lend a supportive ear to lonely elderly people this winter as part of an Age UK project. The group of 30, all between the ages of 16 and 18, heard about the charitable scheme through the college s enrichment programme but all volunteered off their own bats and will dedicate their own time to help the vulnerable, especially over the Christmas period. During the scheme, older people who spend a lot of time on their own can receive the comfort of half hour chats with empathetic and friendly companions in order to combat the feeling of loneliness.