Why do we do what we do?

The No.1 Befriending Agency was formed in September 2016 by a group of professionals who, when working as carers for older adults, frequently experienced that the people they cared for longed for meaningful interaction in addition to the simple mechanical acts of care they received.

Older people are sadly especially vulnerable to feeling lonely, as they often have a very limited number of social interactions in a week, mostly due to mobility issues. In order to tackle this loneliness and isolation, we created a befriending service where trained volunteers visit isolated older people and spend some time with them to have a wee chatter alongside a cup of tea.

We offer befriending free of charge thanks to our exceptional care service, which is increasingly popular among older adults who wish to have a person-centred care service that takes their wellbeing seriously. 

We operate our befriending and our care service based on the same values. We regularly seek feedback from the people we support and those close to them. We believe in creating an environment of constant improvement, where support is closely monitored, to ensure service users are satisfied with the services they receive.