Befriended has won a BBC Make a Difference Award!

We are winners!!!

We are absolutely thrilled to share that Befriended has won a BBC Make a Difference Award! What a very special evening. 

This award belongs to our whole Befriended family, our incredible volunteers, staff, trustees, church and community partners, supporters and funders and most importantly, the wonderful older people who trust us to be a part of their lives. 

Befriended began with a simple belief: no one should have to face loneliness, loss or isolation alone.

Since then, thousands of friendships have been made. People who had stopped going out have found somewhere to belong. People grieving have found others who understand. People who felt they had little purpose have discovered hope, friendship and a reason to get up in the morning.

And none of it happens without our extraordinary volunteers. They make the tea, make cakes, visit people at home, move tables, welcome people, sing, listen, laugh, hug, wash up and week after week, simply show up.

Now the BBC has shone a light on something we already knew: Together we can bring an end to loneliness and isolation.  

We are incredibly proud, incredibly grateful and, if we’re honest, still a little bit stunned! Thank you to everyone who has been part of this story.

And we’re not finished yet… 2027 marks 10 years of Befriended and this feels like a wonderful way to begin our next chapter.