Volunteer Befriender

Our Volunteer Befrienders provide regular, friendly companionship to older and vulnerable people who may be lonely or socially isolated.

You’ll be matched with someone based on interests, personality and preferences, and usually keep in touch once a week. This might involve visiting them at home for a chat and a cuppa, providing telephone befriending, or occasionally enjoying a coffee, walk or short outing together where agreed.

Befriending is all about conversation, companionship and building a genuine, supportive relationship. Just an hour of your time each week can make a huge difference to someone who may otherwise have very little regular social contact.

Gosport Community Support provides induction, ongoing support and relevant training. References and a DBS check will be required.

Skills

You don’t need any previous experience - we’re looking for people who are:

• Friendly, patient and good listeners
• Reliable and able to make a regular commitment
• Caring and respectful towards older and vulnerable people
• Non-judgemental and accepting of different views, lifestyles and backgrounds
• Able to maintain confidentiality and appropriate boundaries
• Comfortable letting us know if they have any concerns about the person they are supporting

Most importantly, you need to enjoy talking to people and have a little time to give.