Bridgend Association of Voluntary Organisations

Community Companions befriending project

We are a free of charge, confidential and non-judgemental befriending project, giving high quality support to people living in Bridgend County Borough.

Coordinated by BAVO, we provide a flexible service to people who maybe isolated and lonely. We have a telephone befriending service and a face to face befriending service.

We are not a substitute for professional services, we are here to complement existing support and we value our working relationships with other agencies. Please be aware that our volunteer befrienders are unable to provide any medical or personal care or domestic support.

If you are feeling lonely and isolated we can help. Do you sometimes feel like this....

•Lonely with no extended family or friends around you?
•Would you like somebody to accompany you when you’re going out and about?
•Transport is a problem and you can’t get to the places you’d like to visit?
•You’d like somebody to pop in for a chat and a cup of tea?

Wouldn’t it be nice if somebody could...
•accompany you to a community café, a local group or activity of your choice?
•call in for a chat or take you shopping?
•take your dog for a walk with you?
•play a game of scrabble over a cup of tea?

We support many people just like you through our volunteer befrienders. They will give some of their own time to offer you companionship if you are feeling lonely or need that little extra help to get out and about and back into community life. We will visit you in your own home and you can decide what type of befriending you would like. The choice is yours!

Information for volunteers

How to become a volunteer befriender

Make a difference to someone’s day ”¦an hour of your day goes a long way!

Join our Community Companions befriending project to help socially isolated people within Bridgend County Borough. Help them to meet new people, improve access to local services and improve their overall health and wellbeing.

We are recruiting and training volunteers aged 16 + to befriend people who may feel isolated and lonely for various reasons.

Imagine going days or weeks without seeing somebody or not being able to get out of the house? An hour of your time to visit someone or to help them participate in community activities can make a huge difference to their day.

Our volunteers may befriend a person by visiting them in their own home for a couple of hours a week, accompany them to go shopping, support them to go to medical appointments, visit a community café or various other social activities and clubs.


A simple guide to becoming a befriender:
•You must be aged 16 or over;
•We ask that you can commit to a minimum of an hour a week over a three month period;
•You will be expected to attend our free training with other new volunteers before being placed;
•Travel expenses will be paid if you travel to support a person, although we will try to place
people in their local area as far as possible to minimise costs;
•Your befriending support for a person is completely confidential;
•You will have to undergo a DBS check at enhanced level which is free of charge;
•You will receive full support from our Project Officer during your time as a befriender.

Contact

Bridgend Association Of Voluntary Organisations
BAVO
112-113 Commercial Street
Bridgend
CF34 9DL

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