Val and Allie have forged a bond that just keeps getting stronger

This is sponsored content for Australian Red Cross.

When Val and Allie first met through the Red Cross buddy program they never imaged how strong their bond would become in just 18 months.

From the moment they met they "just clicked" according to Val who is from England originally and is now retired with no family in the area.

"When we got together and we fit straight away. What I would do without her now? I don't know.

"You're [Allie] stuck with me now, I'm stuck with her," Val said laughing.

"We're very similar in our sense of humour and we're quite open about things, and I think it was a perfect match," Allie said.

Val, now 90-years-old, was a nurse for 60 years while Allie has worked in retail management with a desire to move into a helping profession where she feels like she is making a difference.

Allie came back to volunteering with Red Cross after a break to raise her children and work.

Difficult circumstances including her sister's death and leaving her job led her back to volunteering.

"I personally think that it's when you're feeling down, it is the best to help someone else, doing something for someone else, it takes you out of your own head, and it's a win-win," Allie said.

Red Cross coordinator Nadia Reynolds is responsible for bringing Val and Allie together.

"I train the volunteers in everything and meet everyone and get an idea of what they like, what they don't like, who they are and their story. And then, I will use that information to make matches," she said.

"So Allie and Val, for example, both have a love of reality TV. They're both quite friendly and cheeky ladies who will do anything for a good laugh.

"That match was made almost two years ago. And they've just been going strong ever since. So it's really making those connections based on common interests and the hope that there might be some new interests they can develop together."

The buddy program supports more than 1000 participants across the country with the majority between the ages of 75 and 89 and about 70 per cent are female.

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