Befriending Service

Befriending Service

We provide a free befriending service in Reading, Bracknell and West Berkshire. Our team of dedicated and caring volunteers visit clients in their own homes or speak to them on the phone to provide companionship and engage in friendly conversation. 

We offer free Telephone Befriending for anyone in the Berkshire area, including Slough. Telephone befriending is useful for those who would like to talk to someone on a regular basis, without having someone visit them at home.

How we can help
▪ We recruit volunteers from all walks of life, with a range of ages and interests
▪ We check all potential volunteers with the Disclosure and Barring Service so that we and you are assured about their suitability as a Befriending volunteer
▪ Our Befriending Coordinator visits you, or the person being befriended, to find out more about interests, needs, and your expectations of our service
▪ We match carefully selected volunteers to those needs and interests as much as possible
▪ Our Coordinator visits you again to introduce the carefully matched volunteer
▪ We help you and the potential visiting volunteer determine the frequency of regular visits, which can be weekly, fortnightly, or monthly
▪ We hope it will be a medium to a long-term relationship that may last for many months or years and because it's long-term, it may take at least a month to match the right volunteer with you, or the person being visited: we want to get it right!
▪ We ask the volunteer to regularly let the Coordinator know how you are; we keep that information very secure and do not share it outside of Age UK Berkshire
▪ Your regular volunteer will be able to keep you informed about any other of our services and products if you wish

How do I sign up?

We would love for you to sign up! It is a rewarding experience and we are always looking for more volunteers. For more information about home visiting befriending or telephone befriending, or if you'd like to sign up or refer someone, please contact Age UK Berkshire on:

0118 959 4242 or info@ageukberkshire.org.uk