Back to News & Articles

Time to Talk celebrates five years of befriending this January!

This January, VSNS befriending service, Time to Talk, celebrates five years of tackling loneliness and isolation.

Time to Talk connects volunteer befrienders with local people who feel isolated or are experiencing loneliness. Volunteers meet with individuals for an hour a week, and that sense of connection that they bring helps keep feelings of loneliness at bay. Since first starting in 2019, Time to Talk has received 260 referrals, equating to 1800 hours of support and has gone from strength to strength. Only last year, Runnymede Borough Council commissioned a similar befriending service, in part because of Time to Talk’s success.

Elaine Hawes, who oversees both our Surrey Heath and Runnymede Befriending projects, has reflected on five years of Time to Talk since she first walked through the doors at VSNS:

“Time to Talk Befriending is celebrating it’s fifth year Anniversary this January. I can hardly believe it has been five years since I first walked through the Voluntary Support front door to start my journey as a Befriending Manager. Since then we have welcomed Karen to manage the Surrey Heath office and started a new scheme in Runnymede with Donna taking the lead.

To celebrate this momentous occasion, Karen, Donna and myself are looking forward to welcoming our volunteers and their friends to share in a celebratory afternoon of tea and cake. It has also been an opportunity to reflect on what five years of Time to Talk means to the wonderful people involved.

To our befriendees, we know Time to Talk means they have something to look forward to each week, a new person to have a cup of tea and share stories with. It may also mean they have been thrown a lifeline, a kind voice, a listening ear, someone to confide in and have a laugh with. It certainly means a new friendship and a feeling of connection that has been missing in their lives.

To our volunteers, five years of Time to Talk means being part of an amazing team of volunteers who are well supported, highly valued and making a real difference to others. Without these fabulous people, there would be no Time to Talk, we are blessed to have them.

To me, five years of Time to Talk means five years of meeting with and listening to lovely people with fascinating stories to tell. It means a sense of pride in the fabulous volunteering teams Donna, Karen and myself have helped to create and marvelling at the difference they make.  It means five years of reminding the isolated and lonely people in our communities that they have not been forgotten, that we do care.

To others, Time to Talk befriending may not mean anything yet, so we invite you to contact us directly to find out more. We are always in need of volunteers, so if you have a bit of spare time and enjoy chatting to people, why not get in touch? We would love to hear from you.”

If you’re interested in becoming a volunteer befriender or if you think someone could benefit from a befriender themselves, you can read more about Time to Talk here.

You can also contact us at [email protected] or give us a call on 01276 402789 if you’re in Surrey Heath or 01932 571122 if you’re in Runnymede.

If you’re on Facebook, you can also follow the new Time to Talk page for updates and information.

An hour a week is all it takes to bring a smile to someone’s face.