Engage with Age is pleased to announce the launch of a telephone befriending scheme.

Made possible by a grant from Comic Relief, Engage with Age is able to fulfil a long-held ambition to support older people through one to one Befriending services. Research undertaken through Queen’s University has shown that half of the older people referred to Engage with Age for loneliness want one to one befriending, rather than getting involved in group activities. The impact of Covid-19 and need to isolate on the grounds of health has heightened the need for these services for individuals that can reach them at home. Reports from Belfast Health and Social Care Trust highlight a 300% increase in requests for support for older people experiencing loneliness.

Engage with Age is now seeking people to become volunteer telephone befrienders who will phone one or two older people every week to bring a little more joy and hope into their lives.

To find out more please call Lois Kennedy, Befriending Officer, on 07423 702721 or email befriending@engagewithage.org.uk