Two’s Company is a local befriending telephone service.

The befriending support is offered free of charge across the Streetgate, Sunniside, Marley Hill and Byermoor area.

Two’s Company has been set up by national Christian charity Linking Lives UK, which has been working with churches to set up face to face befriending projects around the country since 2012.

In early 2020, their face to face befriending model was adapted into a telephone befriending framework ‘Two’s Company’ due to the pandemic.

This telephone befriending is offered through the generosity of their trained volunteers. The volunteers are matched with people and provide friendship to someone who is experiencing isolation and in need of company.

All volunteers have been recruited following their Safeguarding Policy and have undergone training in telephone befriending including boundaries, safeguarding and communication skills.

They aim to ensure that each referral is appropriately assessed for suitability, so that we can reduce loneliness by matching people with a volunteer who can be alongside them for a period of time. 

What their telephone befriending support can provide:

• A weekly friendly phone call to an older person who would otherwise be alone.
• A voluntary service, run by trained volunteers.
• Feedback on the referral and subsequent pairing with a befriender.

What their telephone befriending support is not able to provide:

• They do not offer counselling, coaching, or mentoring.
• They do not provide any advice.
• They do not provide shopping, personal care or any other practical help.

How their Referral system works:

They accept referrals for those known to you, who may be experiencing loneliness and who would benefit from having a friendly weekly phone call from one of their telephone befriending volunteers.

However, there are some instances where they are unable to accept an individual for befriending and these reasons may include:

• If the individual is not able to have or does not want befriending support over the telephone.
• If the person has significant or unmanaged health and wellbeing issues.
• If the person lives outside of the area they cover – Streetgate, Sunniside, Marley Hill and Byermoor.
• If the person you are referring has not consented to this referral.

To make a referral ,or if you wish to find out more, please contact  0191 4220445 (office hours 9.30am-3.30pm Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday), or email hillsidechurchoffice@gmail.com. It is important that the person you are referring is aware of the referral you are making.

What happens after the referral has been made?

Once Two's Company receive your referral, they aim to make initial contact with the individual within a 2-3 week window, to hold a conversation about their befriending service and to mutually agree to complete an assessment. Once they have completed their assessment including the risk assessment, they agree how befriending support will be offered depending on their volunteer resources.

Once the service has completed their assessments, they will proceed to match one of their volunteer befrienders with the person. If they feel that the person has declined their support they will close their referral. If there are significant issues that are outside the scope of the volunteers support, they will contact you to refer them to appropriate services.