Together Co

Together Co Befriending offers a service to those who are experiencing loneliness and social isolation and are over the age of 50 with limited to no social connections, or over the age of 18 with health conditions causing isolation or are a carer to these groups.

We match people for face to face befriending, telephone befriending and group befriending. We also offer short term befriending for people looking to rebuild confidence or looking for help to achieve a short term goal such as attending a new group or outdoor activity.

The main support provided is befriending and help with going out, but volunteers also support people around health and wellbeing issues (obtaining information, signposting to services, etc.).

We run three befriending social groups a month and offer some transport. We have over 300 volunteers supporting more than 400 people each year across Brighton & Hove.

Information for volunteers

We are looking for volunteers who can commit to around an hour a fortnight or a week for at least 6 months as a befriender.

You will go through a standard recruitment procedure involving an interview with a team member to find the right match for you, two references and a DBS check.

We run in-house training with other volunteers so you can get to know other people when you come on board with us. You will be carefully matched with someone in Brighton and Hove so you have similar interests and get along well. You will meet regularly for a cuppa and chat to give that person some connection with the outside world and a renewed sense of purpose.

Every quarter we offer our volunteers the chance to get together, usually in the evening over drinks and pizza, to get to know each other and become aware of the volunteer community to which they now belong. It is also a great opportunity for us to say thank you!