Time to Talk Befriending

Time to Talk Befriending sent us an update on how they had been putting our grant to good use and it was great to hear that at the end of 2021 when they added up the numbers they had 539 matches between their scheme members and volunteers, many of which were brand new ‘be-friendships’.

The charity is based in Brighton, Hove, Worthing and Adur in Sussex and, with the help of the team of community volunteers they call befrienders, they seek to alleviate loneliness and isolation through the provision of meaningful contact with older people in the community. Befrienders range from families with young children through to older people in retirement who undertake weekly or fortnightly visits to the person’s home or meet in the community. The charity takes the greatest of care to ensure people are matched according to various interests and hobbies and areas of common ground where this is possible. As well as the befriending service they organise peer group meet ups, hold seasonal events and intergenerational activities as well as providing an excellent signposting service, pointing people in the direction of other services they may find of benefit such as lunch clubs and food banks. Fantastic!