BeFriend - Berwickshire Housing Association

What is BeFriend?

BeFriend is a project of Berwickshire Housing Association, part funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, Scotland.

We provide one to one befriending and group activities for people who are 65 and over, living in Berwickshire or Kelso.

If you are feeling isolated or lonely or would like to become a volunteer befriender, please contact us on 0800 652 8104 (freephone) or email BeFriend@berwickshirehousing.org.uk

Our volunteers and staff are vetted, fully screened, and supported.

Our trained and vetted volunteers visit or call people who feel lonely and isolated, offering companionship, a chat, a chance to go out for coffee, or even a walk around the park. The people we visit really feel the benefit to their physical and mental wellbeing.

As well as one-to-one befriending, we offer the chance to attend group activities which are organised around community events, craft sessions, music, quizzes, and Therapets.

What about volunteering?

Being a volunteer befriender is one of the most rewarding things you can do. It gives you a chance to be a friend to someone who really needs companionship and someone to talk to.

You can be a one-to-one befriender, a telephone befriender, a driver, or you can help out at our group events.

Full training and expenses are provided.

Got a couple of hours a week to spare, to help out a lonely and isolated older person? Get in touch to find out more!”

I would have no social interaction if it wasn’t for BeFriend.

Joe is not only my befriender, he is my friend.

The service works brilliantly for me. It’s helped me come out of my shell and get to other activities

The only people who come to see me are carers, two friends, and my befriender.

Keep up the good work, I love volunteering for the project, it’s very rewarding.

My volunteer is charming and has become a firm friend, I would miss her if I lost her.

My volunteer, Nicky, changed my life.

I volunteer at the group befriending, it’s been great to see total strangers who have over the months formed friendships and they seem to have clearly got a lot out of this and that in turn makes any volunteering I have done worthwhile.