b:friend Christmas Party: Bringing 200 older adults together to tackle loneliness 

On 18 December 2024, b:friend hosted older neighbours from across 14 of our Social Clubs from South Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire at a Christmas party at Parklands Sports & Social Club in Doncaster.

 
The event included a festive meal, entertainment, a raffle and a quiz, and was funded by our generous supporters, The Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire, The Freshgate Trust Foundation, Home Instead Charities UK, Well Doncaster and Sky Cares, whose employees also lent a helping hand as volunteers on the day.  

Colette Bunker, b:friend’s CEO, said in an interview on BBC Radio Sheffield:  

“At Christmas, it can be an incredibly lonely time of year, especially if you live alone. You know, you’re surrounded by images of large families getting together. Maybe it brings back memories of people that you’ve lost and, and including that, you’ve also got the financial worry, particularly in the wintertime, with the winter fuel payments gone, the ever-increasing cost of living. So, it just compounds all of that, the stuff that makes you feel dreadful, particularly when you’re lonely. 

“This was our biggest party to date. It was fantastic. We got all our 14 Social Club members together with the aim that they could expand their networks, meet new people outside of their Club.  

“We organised all the travel, we rented a big ballroom, we put on food, we put on entertainment. There was a quiz, the DJ took requests, so, it was all their favourite music playing.  

“The dance floor was packed and there was lots of swapping phone numbers going on. So, we know that a lot of new friendships were made. 

“It was great. A lot of work goes into it, and we’ve had some amazing funders backing us. It was a great day.”