Three Tele Befriending participants explain why the groups mean so much to them.
Diane's story
"Well I like it because it's something different. It's something that I can look forward to each week. You get to chat and talk to different people. They might be people that you don't know, but they're friendly people. We've all got something in common. You know, I just look forward to it each week."
Linda's story
"I'm Linda and I've been taking part in the service for three years now. I enjoy participating every week and the group means quite a lot to me. I've found that it's given me a lot more courage now to go back out and start to do work in the community. And the ladies that make up our little group are really lovely. You feel like you've all known each other for many, many more years than the three years."
Ian's story
"It's good for me because I don't have a lot of friends in my local area, so it gives me a chance to get to know some new people that are maybe like myself. It gives me a chance to meet other blind people, visually impaired people, from around the country, who obviously I wouldn't get to meet in ordinary circumstances. My favourite part of it is being able to make friends and find out what everyone likes to do. In our group, we all like computers quite a lot, so we are all quite techie and we exchange tips with each other. I just like getting to know people and I like the friendliness of it all. I think it's especially good for people who can't get out very much and don't have much of a social life."