Befriending Week 2024: Martin & Dave’s story

“This friendship lightened up my life. It opened up a whole new world of possibilities.” 

1st-7th November is Befriending Week, a time to raise awareness of the incredible power of befriending and celebrate the projects and amazing volunteers tackling loneliness and strengthening community connections.

We caught up with Martin, b:friend older neighbour and poster superstar, who told us how he found his groove through new friendships. 

Martin got in touch with b:friend in 2018. He had recently moved to his village, and due to being visually impaired, he found it harder to make new connections. 

He said: “Being in a village, I had limited opportunities to socialise due to my eyesight. I felt I was missing out. I was looking for someone to chat to, to go to a pub quiz with. I am a big pub quiz fanatic!”  

Martin met his befriender, Beth, and the two of them hit it off straight away. Beth introduced Martin to her family and Martin also became pals with her dad, Dave. 

When Beth was moving away the following year, there was no question that Dave would keep the weekly visits going with Martin. 

Martin said: “This friendship lightened up my life. It opened up a whole new world of possibilities.  

“Dave and I have a lot of fun; we laugh our socks off. We both love music and enjoy going to gigs together.

“Connecting with b:friend gave me a boost, led to me becoming more confident, it led me to new friendships. It helped me access activities that I thought wouldn’t be available to me. 

“I took part in a local radio project thanks to the charity, and trying my hand at broadcasting was a lifelong ambition. I really enjoyed the b:friend poster photo shoot as well. It made me feel like a rockstar!

“All I can say is a big thank you to Dave, Beth, and the b:friend team who connected us. It’s been fantastic.”