Telephone befriending charity celebrates ten years of keeping people connected

Silver Talk, a friends on the phone service managed by Karbon Homes, has been providing users with a weekly telephone call for a decade.

The service aims to help combat levels of loneliness among over 55s, providing a friendly voice and a listening ear.

Jackie, who is 64 and lives in a Karbon bungalow, has been receiving a call from Silver Talk for the past two years.

She said: “It helps me a lot and I really look forward to my call each week. You can’t put a price on having someone to chat to and more importantly, to have someone there to listen.

The service now offers telephone befriending to 194 people, delivered by 69 trained volunteers.

The service has significantly grown over the last two years in response to increasing demand during the Covid-19 pandemic. This was made possible thanks to £72,000 worth of funding, including £10,000 from The National Lottery Community Fund’s Awards for All.

Paul Moralee, Karbon’s community investment manager, said: “Silver Talk has made a real difference to many people’s lives over the past ten years. It can be harder for some of our older residents to get out and socialise as much as they would like to and many tell us that their Silver Talk call each week is a lifeline that gives them something to look forward to.

“Alongside the calls, we are constantly signposting, referring or connecting our service users to practical help, support or information they need.”