We sat down to chat with volunteer befriender Gemma for Befriending Week 2024 to hear her experience of befriending, highlights with her befriendee and her advice to anyone thinking about volunteering!

Our second volunteer befriender for our Befriending Week spotlight is Narelle! Narelle has befriended Freddie for a year and a half, and they both love every second of it! From DJ sets in the car to imaginary play in the park, Freddie and Narelle have a blast whenever they are together!

“Becoming a befriender has definitely changed my life. I am proud to be part of the charity. It’s rewarding seeing how happy my befriendee is during each outing.” –

Robert decided to become a volunteer mentor as he feels it was something he would have greatly benefitted from having as a young person, ‘I think the idea of mentoring is great, and something I would have liked growing up so I could see how it could benefit a young child,’

“Seeing Jack over the years standing on his doorstep, eagerly waiting for me and excited about our trip, has genuinely moved me and has driven me to keep the relationship going.”

‘I already work with children teaching safety and I love doing that. I had never thought about mentoring until hearing more about intandem and Befriend a Child at an RGU volunteering event. Speaking to the team about who Befriend a Child are and what they do really made me want to get involved.’

“Befriending has had a massive impact on us. It’s increased our confidence when interacting with children, and we feel a huge sense of pride when our befriendee gains a new skill or makes progress at school. As a couple it has been great for us having a shared interest and having our outings to look forward to together.”