Our Befriending Service
Are you living alone?
Do you feel lonely?
Our Befriending Service is for you if you are lonely and socially isolated. We’ll connect you with a volunteer Befriender who will visit to provide companionship on a regular basis.
The primary role of a Befriender is to provide a listening ear to those who do not have many friends or family nearby.
Our Befriender can visit you at home, go for a walk, potter in the garden, take up a new hobby or join a community group with you. We can be here for you.
What’s a Befriending service
Our Befriending service offers supportive, reliable relationships to people who would otherwise be socially isolated and lonely. Surrey Heath Age Concern matches volunteer Befrienders on a one-to-one basis with people aged over 65. Befrienders visit or call regularly for a listening ear and a chat.
Often our service helps identify further needs and concerns, which allows us to offer additional support or signposting, as we work collaboratively with other organisations and local authorities.
Please note, this is a purely social role, befrienders to not undertake any personal care, domestic or driving duties.
The benefits of Befriending
How our Befriending service works
The process is simple
Our Co-ordinator will visit you; they will chat with you over a cup of tea so they get to know you and help outline the kind of Befriender you would prefer to have come and visit you.
Finding your Befriender
The process of finding a suitable Befriender can take time as the purpose of the befriending is to establish a mutually respectful long term friendship. Until a Befriender has been found, you will receive regular telephone calls.
Let’s introduce you
When the right Befriender for you has been found, an Introductory Meeting is set up where the Co-ordinator and the Befriender visit you at home. This initial meeting is where you start your journey with your Befriender.
