News & Press

1 Year on from the launch of the Loneliness Strategy, a new £2 million fund is being opened to help organisations at the frontline of tackling loneliness across the country, Minister for Civil Society Baroness Barran announce

Last October, ‘A Connected Society: Tackling Loneliness and Social Isolation’ was launched as the Loneliness Strategy for England. Find out about progress one year on.

For the first year, Loneliness has been included as a measure in the Scottish Household Survey.

Christina McKelvie MSP, Minister for Older People and Equalities, visits Befriending Networks' member, People Know How to meet volunteer befrienders, befriendees and make an exciting announcement about continued funding for Befriending Networks.

The latest on Social Prescribing from Westminster and the Scottish Parliament 

Befriending Networks shares the results of the 2019 Annual Members' Survey.

Baroness Diana Barran is appointed as the new UK Minister for Loneliness 

It's 100 days until Befriending Week 1-7 November 2019 and we're celebrating by announcing this year's theme & launching the Resource Pack!

New report evidences that everyday technologies have a role to play in the fight against loneliness: Since 1939, WaveLength has recognised the negative effects of loneliness and the vital part that technology can play in reducing loneliness. This report shares the second part of the research between WaveLength and the University of York.

"Barriers to Belonging" is a new report exploring the causes of loneliness and obstacles to seeking help for people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds.

The 'Let's Talk Loneliness' Campaign has been launched at the start of Loneliness Awareness Week 17-21 June 2019.

Scottish Government funds innovative project on screen time

The Scottish Youth Parliament and the Children’s Parliament are to create a package of advice on the healthy use of social media and screen time.

Funded by £90,000 from the Scottish Government, the two organisations will develop a new national resource produced by and for children and young people.

Befriending Networks shares information about the Loneliness Action Group set up by The British Red Cross through partnership with the Co-op. The group’s core members include partners from the Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness and other leading expert organisations.

Launch of National Framework about Volunteering in Scotland. This Framework was developed by the Scottish Government jointly with partners from the volunteer and community sector, local government and NHS, with academics and social researchers, and with volunteers.

Ireland invests in tackling loneliness. Following the publication of 'A Connected Island: An Ireland Free from Loneliness' on 13 June 2018, a €3 million mental health fund will be launched in May.

Time to Celebrate! Its now 60 days away from Volunteers Week 2019. Get ready with resources packs, partner information, volunteer stories and more! 

Time Well Spent is a major new report into the volunteering experience published by NCVO in January 2019. It is the result of a national survey carried out through YouGov's panel (10,000+ respondents).

Befriending Networks is delighted to be one of the organisations benefiting from the Big Lottery Fund

Scotland's Strategy for Tackling Social Isolation & Loneliness is Announced

In addition to our organisational response to the Scottish Governments consultation on A Connected Scotland, the draft strategy on tackling loneliness and social isolation, we participated in a joint response about how these issues impact on Looked After or Care Experienced Children and Young People.