.avif)
.png)
Time to Talk Befriending was founded on 10 December 2013 after older people spoke openly about loneliness, isolation and feeling invisible.
Our founder, Emily Kenward, began by listening. Older people spoke about wanting to see a familiar face, have someone to talk to and remain part of the world around them. What they shared was not only a need for more contact, but a wish to feel seen, heard and remembered.
Their voices shaped the charity and continue to guide how we work today.
From the beginning, our focus has been on trusted, consistent befriending relationships that grow through time, attention and shared experience. These relationships help people feel known, valued and connected.
Older people are not passive recipients of support. They bring humour, wisdom, experience, interests and much to contribute. Every befriending relationship is shaped by what both people bring to it. Our beginnings were inspired by Emily Kenward’s Christian faith and a desire to help people feel seen and valued. Our welcome has always been for everyone, whatever their faith, background or beliefs.
Today, a growing community of older people, volunteers, staff, trustees, partners, funders and supporters sustains this work. Our strategy for 2026 to 2029 protects the relationships at the centre of the charity while strengthening our ability to respond thoughtfully to changing needs in later life.
We still begin in the same place, by listening.
Margaret was one of 94 older people who joined an outreach afternoon tea and spoke about what was missing from their lives and the wider community. Her husband had died, her health was complex and months could pass without a meaningful conversation.
When asked what would make the greatest difference, she said she wanted to: “See a friendly face at home.” She also added that it had been so long since she had felt “seen and heard”.
Margaret’s words helped give shape to Time to Talk Befriending. They also expressed something we continue to hear today that loneliness is not only the absence of company. It can also be the experience of feeling unseen, forgotten or no longer connected to the world around you.
Time to Talk Befriending is a relational charity. Everything we do is informed by listening carefully to the collective voice of the older people we support and the volunteers who walk alongside them.
Our services continue to develop through conversation, reflection and learning. We actively invite feedback, stories and ideas from scheme members and volunteers, using what we hear to shape how we work, how we grow and how we respond to people’s changing lives.
The learning gathered through our work has also contributed to wider conversations about loneliness, ageing and bereavement, including the Emerging Together: the Tackling Loneliness Network Action Plan - GOV.UK and UK Bereavement Commission | Marie Curie.
In this way, the experiences and perspectives of scheme members and volunteers can help inform understanding and practice beyond our local community.
Our commitment to learning and good practice is also reflected in our leadership. Our founder, Emily Kenward, chairs Befriending Networks, the national network supporting befriending organisations through sector-specific training, resources, shared learning and quality accreditation.
Our work received the King’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2024, recognising the important contribution of our volunteers in supporting older people experiencing loneliness.
We also hold Quality in Befriending Excellence accreditation from Befriending Networks, following a thorough external assessment of our befriending practice. This helps ensure that quality is not simply assumed, but examined and evidenced.
In 2025, Emily Kenward was made Honorary Freewoman of the City of Brighton & Hove, the highest civic honour the council can confer. The honour recognised her contribution through founding Time to Talk Befriending and supporting older people experiencing loneliness and isolation.
These recognitions provide independent assurance of the quality, care and commitment behind our work. They also reflect the collective contribution of the scheme members, volunteers, staff, trustees, partners and supporters who continue to shape and sustain the charity. Together, this approach keeps our work grounded, accountable and responsive. It reflects our belief that older people are individuals with experience, insight, agency and much to contribute.
Explore our research and resources to find out more.
Your donations and support helps to change lives and overcome loneliness.
Could you support us financially? In doing so you will enable us to positively connect with older people who feel ‘invisible’, ‘forgotten’, and ‘alone’.
Regular monthly or one off donations make a significant difference to our Charity.
We need the generous support of our community, both big and small to improve the lives of society's most lonely, isolated and vulnerable older people.
.avif)
.jpg)
.avif)
.jpg)
.avif)
.jpg)
