Befriending Service
If you are over 60 in the Colchester area and seeking company, we are here for you.
We are helping lonely and isolated people over 60 in the Colchester area by matching them to new friends within the local community.
The service is free of charge, independent and
completely confidential.
Our Befriending Service addresses the needs of the socially isolated and offers a three-pronged service:
- Telephone Befriending
- Face-to-Face Befriending
- Circle-of Friendship Befriending
to encompass a wide range of needs.
Step 1. Introduction and information
We will discuss the Befriending process and what would suit you best initially on the phone or in our offices.
Step 2. Match
We will make you a befriending match according to your personality, interests, location, and availability.
Step 3. First Point of Contact
We will contact you both and introduce you to each other at a location convenient to you: usually your home. This is to see if you are the right fit.
Step 4. Befriending
If all is well between you, then you can continue with telephone chats, or arrange to meet face-to-face for home visits or outings at your own leisure and pace.
Befriending is tailored to our clients. We want you to get the most out of the experience and to feel comfortable, so it is our priority to listen to your needs.
Befriending can be whatever you make it and wish it to be: we can help to facilitate you having 1:1 sessions, befriending in the home, or even trips out together. How often you meet up with your matched volunteer befriender and what social activities you do will be dependent on what your needs are for your mutual benefit.
All volunteers go through DBS checks and personal references to ensure a safe and high quality service.
6 weeks after you are set up with your befriender we will send out a completely confidential monitoring form to see how you are getting along or if you have any questions. If you wish so we can arrange for a rematch with a new
befriender, but we will always be here to help throughout the befriending process and beyond.
We would very much like to hear from anybody who would like to access this service or who would like to volunteer to be a befriender.
For more information, contact us at:
Telephone: 01206 368420
Email: [email protected]
Address: 63 North Hill, Colchester, Essex, CO11PX
Age Concern Colchester feels it is important that older people should not become isolated and so we run a number of social activities with partners in the community across the Borough of Colchester and beyond. Here at Age Concern we have a wide variety of different clubs and services to suit every need. If you or a loved one are seeking support, advice or friendship our highly experienced team is on hand to welcome you to Age Concern.
Our Groups and Activity Clubs Include:
| Art Club
Beading Buddies Befriending Service Bingo Leaflet Bridge Club Business Directory Catch the Mouse (1-to-1 computer training) Chairobics Chiropody Coffee Morning
|
Technology Group
Keep Fit Knit and Natter Leaving a Legacy Legal Surgery Line Dancing Practical Spanish Yoga Club Craft Club And many more to come…
|
Clubs that we partner with are found on our events page click here
We are looking to open up new friendship clubs in areas of isolation. If you would be interested in volunteering or being a part of a new club please let us know by contacting us.
Contact Us for more information or Like our Facebook Page for more regular information.
