New Friends for You

Friends for you reaches out to lonely people in the Chorley, Lancashire area by offering them a volunteer to visit them for an hour a week at the same time, same day each week. This provides a solid point in their loneliness. We also take all the people we visit and their volunteers out for afternoon tea or lunch during the year and for a pre-Christmas lunch. For some of our lonely people these are the only times they leave their homes. This expands their social contacts, gives them confidence to go out of their own homes with someone to lean on and the guarantee of a safe and friendly environment. For those unable to leave their homes we offer afternoon tea for up to six friends in their own home. During Covid restrictions we were unable to make visits and the volunteers made telephone calls instead.

Information for volunteers

Friends for You offers a wonderful opportunity to volunteer to help combat the loneliness epidemic. We recruit volunteers from posters around town, by personal recommendation and through the Volunteering Academy in Chorley. Every prospective volunteer is DBS checked and then undergoes a small amount of training. They are then paired up with someone with similar interests and/or hobbies. They are taken and introduced to the person and deep friendships ensue. Once a good relationship is established visiting continues indefinitely. Every volunteer receives one time credit for each hour of voluntary work. These can be spent at various locations around Lancashire. We are also looking for volunteers to make telephone calls to a lonely person, as many people are still isolated in their homes and a call once a week can help lift their mood.