‘Sometimes I started thinking “I had a life, but maybe it was all a dream”. Now there is a human being who is interested, and I’m like, ‘maybe I’m not yet fit for the bin,’ says Karen, ever so bluntly, one of our befriendees. She now keeps in touch with her befriender on the telephone.

Most of our befriendees, like Karen, live alone and cannot leave their homes on their own: they normally rely on our volunteers to be able to go out for a walk. These past months they have been imprisoned in their own homes and have even been advised against going out for shopping, while their care provision was discontinued if they were not deemed to be a priority. 

‘My carers no longer come, so I have to do everything on my own. I cannot go out on my own, so the only sunshine I see is through the window. I don’t even know what day it is anymore. I know when it is Tuesday, because that’s when my volunteer calls me’ explains David, another befriendee.

The No.1 Befriending Agency provides a befriending service and a (new) shopping service for isolated older people in Glasgow. Our volunteer befrienders are able to provide a listening ear, confidential support, regular contact, conversation and signposting to other services that might be of interest. Our shopping volunteers support people with provisions and picking up prescriptions.

On 6 July, we launched this year’s new fundraising campaign, with the aim to raise £30,000 by December 2020, to continue to support people who are socially isolated and lonely. 

‘As a result of the pandemic our capacity to generate income for our befriending services via our care service has been significantly affected. Our business model was unique in the sense that, unlike other organisations that provide befriending services, we did not need to rely fully on funding since part of our income was generated by our high-quality home care service. However, the effects of the pandemic on home care could not be anticipated. That is why we are now aiming to raise funds to help us to continue to provide our befriending services in 2021.

‘We think that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in people recognising and encountering the isolation and loneliness that many people in the community face every day. Loneliness is still not something that's generally talked about, but we hope that is something that might change’ - explains Sheila McPherson, our Managing Director.

Our motivation is to honour, respect and connect those from all walks of life who may suffer from isolation, loneliness and lack of social interaction. Our hope is that no older person in Glasgow will feel that their community has turned their backs on them, or that they are ‘fit for the bin’ - to use Karen’s gut-wrenchingly pointed words. We want to be there to listen, provide friendship and companionship, and most importantly, to learn: because we believe growing old means having that much more to give, and that much more to teach. 

As we are a small organisation, every donation of whatever size makes a real difference to our future. Donations make a huge difference enabling the continued support of isolated older adults in Glasgow. We named our campaign ‘Caring Cuppa’, because by donating the price of a cuppa each month, donors can guarantee that we’ll be able to continue to provide our vital services. All we need to raise now is 12,000 cups of tea! the Visit our donation page to see how your kind and generous donation counts towards increasing friendship and tackling loneliness.

It is important for us all to feel connected and loved.