This summer, 61 of the people we support told us what difference THFN makes to their lives. Most of them talked it through with our staff during visits and calls. That’s the only realistic way to hear from people who are housebound, have limited sight, or don’t read English.

An update to our earlier findings. We first shared these results in July, based on 49 surveys. Since then we found 12 completed surveys that hadn’t been added to our system, and we didn’t want those voices left out. We’ve added them in, so everything below is based on all 61 responses. The overall picture hasn’t changed.

Who we support

Our befriendees are very old, often unwell, and often very alone:

  • More than half are aged 75 or over, and some are in their late nineties.
  • Most live alone.
  • Everyone who answered lives with a long-term health condition, and most live with several.
  • Almost half are housebound or rarely leave home.
  • Nearly half feel lonely often or always.

What stops them getting out is mostly mobility, fear of falling, and having no one to go with.

What they told us

  • Every respondent was satisfied with THFN, and four in five were very satisfied.
  • 59 of 60 said THFN has improved their quality of life.
  • Nine in ten feel less lonely since being matched with a befriender.
  • 55 of 59 said losing THFN would have a moderate or severe impact on their life.

Asked what they value most, people named the relationship itself: having someone to talk to, and companionship. Befriending is also practical. Befriendees told us about letters explained, appointments booked and kept, benefits sorted, and someone noticing early when things were going wrong.

“If it wasn’t for THFN I would be losing my mind… otherwise I am a prisoner in my own home.”

“She does more for me than my own children.”

“I have nobody to help me and now she will… I am very happy I have a friend now.”

Where we need to do better

Befriending eases loneliness but doesn’t end it, and the most common request was for more contact. People also asked for more group activities and trips, help with transport, and women-only sessions. Demand is higher than our current capacity, so people are waiting longer than we’d like. We’re working to bring that wait down and to grow the team.

We also learned that some standard measures, such as “feeling more connected to the community”, don’t fit people who are bedbound or living with advanced dementia. We’re changing how we measure our work so it reflects what matters to them.

What happens next

We’ll run the survey again in November and December, using this year’s results as our baseline, so we can see whether the changes we’re making are working.

Thank you to every befriendee, family member and carer who spoke to us, and to the staff and volunteers who make the difference they described.

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