Befriending group tackling “lockdown loneliness” with support from National Lottery

• Sussex’s Time to Talk Befriending boosted by £22,000 grant from The National Lottery
• Money will fund expansion of its befriending services in Worthing and Adur
• According to statistics recently revealed in a report by the Office of National Statistics, more than 7m people in Britain have suffered from “lockdown loneliness”

A Sussex-based befriending community project has just received a £22,000 National Lottery grant to help it meet a surge in demand for its support in Worthing and Adur.

Time to Talk Befriending matches volunteer befrienders with vulnerable older people who would otherwise have minimal or no other social contact. It provides the only long-term service of its kind in Worthing and Adur, now supporting more than 100 older people.

The much-needed funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK, will help the group expand its volunteer-led, intergenerational befriending service. The group will work alongside Adur & Worthing Council, so it can keep people of all ages connected during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lockdown and social distancing has seen the service receiving four times more requests for support for older people struggling with isolation than usual.

Founded in 2013 in Brighton, Time to Talk Befriending has grown steadily in size, volunteer numbers and reach, and last year received over £90,000 from The National Lottery Community Fund to expand its dedicated service outside of Brighton and Hove to Worthing and Adur.

The news of this funding was announced during Loneliness Awareness Week (15 – 19 June), an annual event to raise awareness of loneliness, break the stigma attached to it and encourage people to speak about the issue openly. According to statistics recently revealed in a report by the Office of National Statistics, more than 7m people in Britain have suffered from “lockdown loneliness”*.

Time to Talk Befriending’s amazing group of volunteers are working tirelessly to ensure local people remain connected during these difficult times. One such volunteer is Claire, who was matched up to her befriendee, Cheryl, six years ago and continues to have an incredible bond and friendship.

Claire says of her experiences volunteering: “Befriending is enriching, life-affirming and joyous, especially when I realised that my match had the same birthday as me, 30 years apart! We celebrate every year together and go out for some food. We’ve been friends through both of my pregnancies and she loves to see my sons too when it’s possible. Befriending has been one of the best volunteering projects I’ve ever been part of. You can form an amazing friendship with someone you may never have met otherwise and it is something you can continue with as long as you wish.

“The charity’s response to COVID-19 has made me more proud than ever to be a part of Time To Talk Befriending. I have made a new telephone befriending match, which has been lovely, and it’s been wonderful to see all the outreach programmes the charity have been involved with.”

Time To Talk Befriending was awarded excellence in Befriending earlier this year and given the award of ‘Best Small Charity of the Year’ by local regional newspaper, The Argus in 2016 for its work across Brighton and Hove. In addition, the charity was awarded the accolade of ‘Best partnership and Collaboration’ by the Community Voluntary Sector body in October 2016. The group was recently awarded the ‘Best Elderly Social Interaction Support – South East England’ at the Social Care Awards in 2020.

Emily Kenward, Founder & CEO of Time to Talk Befriending, said: “When we first started to identify other areas of need in Sussex, Adur and Worthing were in the highest risk for isolation and scam fraud among the older population. It therefore feels like a privilege to extend our befriending service into neighbouring West Sussex which for many experiencing loneliness is proven to be a “life-line”. We are thankful to the National Lottery for enabling us to engage and connect with older people, volunteers and partners in the area so that we can tackle this serious issue of loneliness together”.

Helen Bushell, Head of Funding for South East at The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “Thanks to National Lottery players, we are able to fund thousands of projects working in many different ways to help reduce loneliness and isolation in the UK. As we all adapt to profound changes during the COVID-19 pandemic, tackling stigma around loneliness and making it okay to ask for help are more important than ever.

“Loneliness is affecting people from all walks of life while we are physically apart in these difficult times. The incredible groups we fund are a powerful force for good – supporting people to connect, reducing feelings of isolation and helping communities come together in new and inspiring ways.”

Thanks to National Lottery players, almost £6 million of National Lottery funding has gone to more than 400 projects tackling loneliness and social isolation across England since the lockdown began, enabling them to provide people with much-needed support. With support from The National Lottery Community Fund, charities, community projects, and grassroots groups are leading the way - keeping people connected and supporting those at risk of becoming lonely.

Going forward, The National Lottery Community Fund will continue to prioritise getting funding to groups best placed to support their communities at this vital time and also towards those seeking to rebuild as the crisis abates.

To find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk