Our befriending service aims to support our community by acting as an early intervention, to: Reduce the feelings of loneliness & isolation felt by those referred; Build resilience and confidence of those befriended; Encourage those befriended to re-engage with confidence within their community surroundings; Improve the life outcomes of those befriended. We are passionate in walking alongside those who have been referred with a person-centred approach. We have achieved this through 1-to-1 befriending where we have supported over 40 individuals in the last 12 months and have seen very encouraging result. This grant will help us to launch a group befriending opportunity (fully supported by volunteers), in a wellbeing café environment which will be open to our current befriender/befriendees matches, those on our waiting list who can attend and others in the community that contact us. This approach also links into and supports the Scottish Government ‘Warm Places’ agenda, providing a warm space for individuals to gather, supporting those struggling with the severe cost of living crisis that our communities are facing.
