Evergreen Sleaford Befriending Service

Evergreen Sleaford offers face-to-face befriending for those aged 70+, live alone and are isolated within their own home who live within a 10-mile radius of Sleaford. Volunteer Befrienders form a 1:1 friendship with a service user and pledge to visit once a week for 1-2hours. This is usually to chat over a cuppa, but can sometimes include playing games, working on a project together or going on short visits/trips out.

Referrals can be made through any professional agency, family, friend or made by the service user themselves. Once a referral has been made, an assessment visit will be arranged to visit the Service User in their home to discuss service provision and ensure individuals meet the criteria for the service. Once this has been completed, a Coordinator will seek a suitable volunteer and introduce them to the Service User. The friendship is then regularly reviewed to ensure everyone is happy. All volunteers are DBS cleared, attend a short interview and are receive relevant training for the role.

The ultimate aim is that a mutually beneficial friendship will form and the loneliness and isolation experienced by the Service User will be alleviated.