Befriending
- Location: Age UK Westminster
- Price: Free
Please note, this service is not available outside Age UK Westminster - Head Office's catchment area.
Age UK Westminster
Beethoven Centre
Third Avenue
London
W10 4JL
United Kingdom
Email: volunteering@ageukwestminster.org.uk
Telephone: 02030 045610
Our befriending service provides friendship and support for older people in the community to ensure they do not become lonely or socially isolated.
Age UK Westminster can help you, or an isolated person you know, to find a friend who will come and visit once or twice a week. Perhaps for a chat and a cup of tea, or as company on a walk, or perhaps on an outing to the theatre. A helping hand or a listening ear can make a difference particularly for those that are housebound or have mobility difficulties.
Telephone Befriending
Age UK Westminster also offers the 'Telafriend' Telephone Befriending service which is a free telephone friendship service that matches volunteers with older members of the public to have a weekly 20 minutes minimum chat together. Our volunteer telephone befrienders are all DBS security checked and will contact you weekly on a day or days that suit you.
To download our Befreinding Referral Form use the below link.
Referrals
As little as 1 hour per week can make such a huge difference to quality of life for older residents. Making new friendships and relationships, this role is enjoyed equally by the volunteers who help support the service. Feedback from both recipients and volunteers has highlighted solid relationship building, and good improvements in wellbeing levels.
If you would like to refer someone please use the contact info below.
Please contact our Befriending Coordinator on the details below for further information on our Befriending service and to confirm eligibility.
Age UK Westminster, Befriending Film
At Age UK Westminster we believe it’s time that people stopped thinking about loneliness as an inevitable part of ageing and have produced a short campaign video about our work.
Follow the below link to watch the film.
https://www.ageuk.org.uk/westminster/our-services/befriending/befriending-film/
Volunteering
If you would like to become a volunteer befriender yourself, please contact us via the details on our volunteering page.
A befriending volunteer will be relieving the isolation of lonely or housebound older people by visiting them weekly at their home. They might have a cup of tea and a chat, or go out for a walk. Volunteers may occasionally be asked to undertake other activities such as wheelchair pushing or escorting the client to the shops.
To find out more follow the below link.
https://www.ageuk.org.uk/westminster/get-involved/volunteering/befriending-volunteer/