**Service Overview: Weekly Support for Loneliness and Isolation**
Our program offers supportive services for individuals experiencing loneliness and isolation, including:
### Weekly Phone Calls
- **Eligibility**: Service Users and Carers with a responsible clinician referral.
- **Duration**: One-hour calls per week for a period of three or six months.
- **Operating Hours**: Calls are available between 9 AM to 9 PM, Monday to Sunday, across all ELFT boroughs.
- **Confidentiality**: Conversations are confidential, designed to feel like having a coffee with a friend.
- **Language Support**: Befrienders available in Bengali, Urdu, Italian, Portuguese, French, Spanish, Hindi, Romanian, Punjabi, Yoruba, Somali, Darsi, Pahsto, and Farci.
### Online Meet-Up Groups
Participate in one of our four themed weekly online meet-up groups:
1. **Gastronauts**: Food, gourmet coffee, cooking, and recipes.
2. **Earthlings**: Gardening, plant care, outdoor pursuits, wildlife, and nature.
3. **Cinemates**: Discussions on film, TV, sci-fi, fantasy, and gaming.
4. **Bookworms**: A focus on creative writing, poetry, journaling, and literature.
If you have concerns about joining a group, please contact us; we're happy to discuss any worries you may have.
### Contact Information
To reach our service, please use the following:
- **Service Line**: 0207 655 4019
- **Out of Hours**: 07557 172803
- **Email**: ELFT.Befriendingservice@NHS.net
### Call to Action
If you or someone you know could benefit from our support, please reach out through the contact information provided to get started. Reconnect and engage with our community today!
Service access criteria:
Must be a resident of Newham, Tower Hamlets, Hackney or Luton & Beds and must have a responsible clinician attached to the referral.
Categories:
Outdoor activities
Activities for older people
Connecting with nature
Connecting with others
Healthy lifestyle
Managing a long-term health condition
Mental health
Services for older people
Social prescribing
Support for carers
Additional needs catered for:
Wheelchair accessible
Learning difficulty friendly
Physical disability friendly
Non English speaking friendly
Waiting list (weeks):
1
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Who can refer:
Professional referrals only