Loneliness in Older People - Online

Linking Lives UK - Values of Befriending
Befriending is widely recognised as ‘a relationship between two or
more individuals which is initiated, supported, and monitored. Ideally
the relationship is non-judgemental, mutual, purposeful, and there is
a commitment over time.’ Relationship is at the heart of befriending
and creating an environment of trust and mutual respect where the
relationship can blossom is key. Making a commitment of time each
week, and over the months, is an intrinsic value of befriending and, in
this way, differs to casual contact with acquaintances. It is this commitment that helps to build
the fabric of the friendship and, over time, makes such an incredible difference to one, if not
both, of the people involved.
“I love having my befriender call me; we chat for
ages and put the World to rights.”
Link Friend (Client)
Linking Lives UK is a Christian befriending charity which has equipped and enabled over 70
churches across the UK so far to set up befriending schemes as part of their engagement in
their local communities. This is done through providing a ready-to-use framework for setting up,
preparing and running a befriending scheme.
Before the 2020 lockdown, Linking Lives befriending
always took the form of home visiting – where a
volunteer would make regular visits to a client’s (Link
Friend) home, with the aim of purely building friendship
through conversation and shared activities in the home.
In response to the pandemic, Linking Lives recognised
that demand for befriending would continue, if not
increase, over the following months, and so created
a new model called ‘Two’s Company’ – a telephone befriending tool for churches wanting to
respond to the desperate issue of loneliness in their communities.
Linking Lives work with churches, by firstly raising the issue of loneliness among church
members and leaders alike. This is done in various ways such as through webinars, information
on the Linking Lives website and short films or presentations. Linking Lives offers their
befriending model as one way to address loneliness among local communities, and this is
realised in a partnership between the local church and Linking Lives.
In this partnership, Linking Lives provides the framework, training and guidance needed for a
local church to set up their own Two’s Company befriending project, along with templates for
working, opportunities for networking, IT services and telephone support. In response to this,
the local church agrees to initiate and run their own Two’s Company befriending project. They
agree to do this in a professional way (including ensuring the safe recruitment of volunteers)
and to uphold the values of Linking Lives in their dealings with volunteers, Link Friends and the
wider community.
Using the Linking Lives framework, the coordinator of a local project is trained in all aspects
of the process, including how to recruit volunteers safely, where to go to find referrals, how to
29 | Loneliness in Older People