Face-to-face

Friends Ageing Better is a community of older people who share what is happening in the city while building relationships with like-minded people who live locally. 

FAB run weekly meetup cafes across the city as well as a monthly disco with Eastside Community Trust and the Trinity Centre. You can also sign up to receive our FAB e-newsletter which shares news of activities and events taking place online and over the phone.

Telephone

Age UK Bristol runs a free telephone befriending service during the pandemic. As well as in-person FAB cafes, FAB also run a weekly telephone group. Members of the group are all called at the same time every week and have an opportunity to catch up with one another’s news and updates.

Re-Engage is running a call companion service. This service operates in a similar way to Age UK Bristol’s befriending service; each week you speak to the same person at the same time. To be eligible for a call companion you should be living alone or in sheltered housing and have difficulty getting out in normal times. However, Re-Engage consider applications on a case-by-case basis, so if your circumstances don’t completely meet their criteria and you would like a call companion, please do apply. You can apply online here or ring 0800 716543 (calls are free).

Independent Age is also running a free telephone befriending service for people who would enjoy a regular chat. Find out more about their service online or ring 0800 319 6789 (calls are free).

Bristol Drugs Project is running a free weekly telephone support service run for people aged 50 + with current or recent problems related to their drug or alcohol use. This is an open group where you can attend as often or as little as you like. It provides a safe convivial space to meet, enables members to find out about what is going on in the wider community, establishes friendships,  and enables you to work to support your peers and engage in wider social networks and activities. For more information please look at the Bristol Drugs Project website or call 0117 987 6009.

Online

Read our guide on how to keep connected using FacebookFacebook offers an opportunity to not only stay in touch with friends and relatives, but also to join Facebook groups and follow pages that interest you. A Facebook group is something you can join (if you have a Facebook account) where members can discuss a shared interest. If you have a hobby, we can almost guarantee there will be a Facebook group dedicated to it. Through Age UK Bristol’s ‘Friends Ageing Better’ (FAB) project, we have a Facebook group for people over 50 who would like to make more connections in their local area. Just type ‘Friends Ageing Better – FAB’ into the search bar on Facebook.

Read our guide on how to keep connected using Zoom

Read our guide on how to use Skype on an iPad

Read about how to use FaceTime

Read about how to use WhatsApp