Our Journey through COVID (and beyond…)

In the face of Covid, with emergency National Lottery Community funding, we took a swift response to support older people in the community who were suddenly pushed into worse states of loneliness and isolation. Our amazing team created twenty new matches and supported the transition of old matches from face-to-face befriending to safer telephone befriending, maintaining the strong relationships that had been built before the pandemic struck.

The way we have been forced to adapt has led to many positive developments, which have allowed us to expand and reach befriendees in ways that will develop long term. We now offer a huge variety of virtual events - 3 per week! - and our volunteer base has become even more intergenerational and multicultural. During the pandemic, this mix of age and experience have brought a dynamic blend to the No.1 Befriending Agency.

 Transformational Change

 Thanks to the Connecting Scotland Programme, we have been able to bid for equipment to tackle digital exclusion and have moved our monthly Cup of Friendship events online. We provided MiFis and iPads to befriendees who were without, helping each individual to get online and join Zoom calls where they can chat with each other and be entertained (we hope) by a variety of volunteers.

Activities are always wide-ranging, including crafts, quizzes, photography shows, live music and much more, but we always make sure there is time for our befriendees to relax together, chat and take a walk down memory lane. Using the platform to swap contact details, many older members have been able to form real friendships that extend into their private lives. 

Moreover, thanks to funding from The Befriending Network at the start of 2021, we have been able to cement these events in our weekly cycle, transforming the way we reach our befriendees. The number has increased from once per week to three times a week by March 2021!

Most importantly, these events have given the regularly-attending befriendees the confidence in using equipment that can keep them connected with the world beyond lockdown. Our staff and event volunteers are on hand to provide support when needed but, as the questions get less and the connection time gets faster, we can tell the huge strides that our members are making in being self-sufficient in a technological world. 

We encourage new members to join us and look forward to continued growth in this area.

 Our Volunteers: Multicultural and Multigenerational

 Our volunteer base has been strengthened from an influx of young students; always great supporters, the pandemic has spurred them on even more. Since our outreach project in Govan, many culturally-diverse volunteers from the refugee and asylum seeker community have discovered our vision; they bring so much depth to our virtual events and so much joy to our befriendees. Moving forwards, we hope to build intercultural dialogue and intergenerational dialogue and look forward to welcoming more and more older people from diverse backgrounds, creating accessible matches to reduce their isolation and loneliness.

Case study 1 - The Dedication of Our Volunteers:

When an older person contacted us, eager to start a befriending relationship that reached beyond her home in the north of Scotland, it is unlikely that she envisioned it reaching all the way to Hungary. Her befriender, Zoi, needed to return to her home country during the pandemic and, speaking by telephone, their relationship has flourished regardless of the distance. Birthday and Christmas cards have flown across borders and Zoi can’t wait until after Covid, when they will be out and about more and their cultural exchange can grow.

Zoi, our volunteer in Hungary

Case study 2 - The Reciprocity of the Relationship:

Zahrah has volunteered with Sandra for two years and has listened to the older woman’s advice on more than one occasion, leading to good life choices. These two wonderful people show how great befriending partnerships - that bring peace and friendship to both sides of the match - can be strengthened by bridging generations.

More on their intergenerational relationship can be found on our update from 11th March 2021.

Zahrah, Sandra’s volunteer

 The Future…

 The speed and enthusiasm with which we rose to the initial challenges of the pandemic are the same strengths that stand us in good stead today and, as we continue to innovate and bring older people together, crossing generations and cultures, we look forward to welcoming many new members. May they join us on the next leg of our journey with big smiles on their faces and hot cuppas in their hands - with a biscuit, too, of course!