{"id":638751,"date":"2025-12-17T19:36:34","date_gmt":"2025-12-17T19:36:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/638751\/"},"modified":"2025-12-17T19:36:34","modified_gmt":"2025-12-17T19:36:34","slug":"we-feel-like-weve-known-each-other-for-forever-bangor-women-praise-befriending-service-for-tackling-loneliness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/638751\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018We feel like we\u2019ve known each other for forever\u2019: Bangor women praise befriending service for tackling loneliness"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Trust\u2019s Befriender Safe and Well Service pairs volunteers with people aged 65 and over who live alone, offering regular companionship and support.<\/p>\n

Sylvia, 80, from Bangor, said she was matched with her befriender Anne more than a year ago after spending two years on the service\u2019s waiting list.<\/p>\n

\u201cI came to live in Bangor three years ago and didn\u2019t really know that many people,\u201d she said. \u201cI had broken my ankle and was housebound for the first summer I was here, which knocked my confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n

She added: \u201cWe met at my home and from the moment she came in the door it was as if I had known her forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sylvia said the pair now meet weekly and share common interests, including history and animals.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe meet once a week, we chat, we laugh. We both love history and we love animals,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

“We just click and get on so well. Anne looks after me and I look after her. The Befriender Service is fantastic; it is a really big help for anybody who is on their own and there are plenty. The Service and Anne have totally changed my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anne, who volunteers with the service, said she joined after seeing information about the scheme while attending an appointment at Ards Hospital.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had had a brain tumour removed eight years ago and my husband had just died a couple of months before. I wasn\u2019t on a bus route and I was isolated where we lived. I sold my house and moved to the town here in Bangor.<\/p>\n

\"Carol,<\/p>\n

Carol, Anne and Sylvia<\/p>\n

“I was going to Ards Hospital one day for an appointment and I was sitting waiting and noticed leaflets about the Befriender Volunteering Service \u2013 so I signed up, it was as simple as that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anne described her connection with Sylvia as \u201cmagic\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cSylvia brightens me up and it is so lovely to come over to her home one day a week. You come here and you don\u2019t want to leave again,\u201d Anne added.<\/p>\n

Volunteer Befriending Officer Carol Campbell said the service plays an important role in supporting older people across the Trust area.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Befriender Safe and Well Service is aimed at reducing social isolation for people aged 65 and over who live independently and alone within the Trust area,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"Anne<\/p>\n

Anne and Sylvia<\/p>\n

News Catch Up – Wednesday 17 December <\/p>\n

\u201cWe do have a waiting list and we are always recruiting befriender volunteers throughout the year.\u201d<\/p>\n

For those interested in the Volunteer Befriender role and who would like more information on the roles available can contact the Safe and Well office on 02897 566934 or email safeandwell@setrust.hscni.net<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Trust\u2019s Befriender Safe and Well Service pairs volunteers with people aged 65 and over who live alone,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":638752,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5011],"tags":[1384,1249,1144,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-638751","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-northern-ireland","8":"tag-down-news","9":"tag-kurtis-reid","10":"tag-northern-ireland","11":"tag-uk","12":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115736595722518381","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/638751","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=638751"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/638751\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/638752"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=638751"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=638751"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=638751"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}