Befriending offers supportive, reliable relationships through volunteer befrienders to people who would otherwise be socially isolated.

Around the UK, there are befriending projects which organise effective support for young people, families, people with mental ill-health, people with learning disabilities and older people, amongst many others. Our programme supports adults living in Medway, but cannot support people with advanced dementia, unreasonable behaviours, or complex mental health problems.

The results of befriending can be significant. Befriending often provides people with a new direction in life, opens up a range of activities and leads to increased self-esteem and self confidence. Befriending can also reduce the burden on other services which people may use inappropriately as they seek social contact. 96% of people we work with (who have had repeat baseline assessments) have improved in at least one measure of health and wellbeing, 53% are less anxious, and 38% have reduced their use of health services.

We help to connect people with activities which are going on in the communities around us; we provide either one-to-one or telephone befrienders and run two weekly group meetings as well as monthly Bingo and seated exercise to music sessions across Medway.

The service is at maximum capacity and new referrals are currently not being accepted.