We forge rewarding connections between GrandFriends and younger people in order to solve intergenerational loneliness together.
WHAT
GrandFriends UK The Company of Elders is a registered charity which launched in September 2022 in Oldfield Park in Bath.
We recruit, train and support people of retirement age, whom we describe as ‘elders’, to volunteer as GrandFriends and give their company through a range of innovative programmes designed to reach different age groups within our community, for mutual benefit.
We have completed two years of programmes, which run concurrently with the academic year. In our Pilot Year we delivered 377 measurable units of Meaningful Intergenerational Connection. In our second year it rose to 1542.
September 2024 marks the start of our third year, during which we hope to expand our existing programmes within Bath. In our fourth year (from September 2025) we hope to expand to another region in the UK.
WHY
The charity was conceived as a joined-up solution to the intergenerational disconnect apparent today, caused by a number of structural and cultural factors and exacerbated by the COVID experience.
Many elders in the UK don't often see their younger family and friends due to decades of social and economic mobility; many feel disconnected by the increasing reliance by children and young people on smartphones for communication; many feel disrespected or even attacked by younger people because of assumptions made about their opinions and politics being out of date.
We also see how hard it can be for younger adults and families to access the pastoral benefit of the company of elders in their neighbourhoods, in protected, regular and mutually beneficial ways.
HOW
Our work has been designed from inception with the insight of our GrandFriend volunteers, supportive members of the local community, and other organisations with experience and expertise.
Our current programmes are:
- Lunch & Play Time Visits
- Library Sessions
- The GrandFriends Sunday Socials
- The GrandFriends Hobbies Club
We also have a calendar of social events for our GrandFriends to enjoy each other's company throughout the year.
WHO
We have over 30 GrandFriend volunteers who we empower to give their precious time to younger people who may be missing the company of elders through our innovative programmes.
We describe our volunteers not as ‘older people’ which we believe can have ageist connotations, but instead as ‘Elders’, meaning people who we respect for their greater age, experience and wisdom. We feel that as elders, our GrandFriends have proper and deserved status at the heart of our community.
Our volunteers currently range in age from early 60s to late 80s. We are always recruiting - please get in touch!
We need your consent to load the translations
We use a third-party service to translate the website content that may collect data about your activity. Please review the details in the privacy policy and accept the service to view the translations.