Making lasting friendships

26th September 2023

Friendship is a vital element at every stage of life and the positive bonds we form with other people are essential for our wellbeing.

September, which is designated as National Friendship Month, brings this topic to the fore and gives everyone the chance to recognise what their friends mean to them.

Founded by the Oddfellows Friendly Society in 2010, Friendship Month is celebrated across the world and highlights the important role that friends play in our lives. People are encouraged to spend more time with friends and really appreciate them, as well as reconnecting with old friends and reaching out to make new ones.

We support a wide range of grassroots community organisations and voluntary groups that encourage and nurture friendships, including those who help to bring elderly people together and reduce isolation, making a huge difference across Essex.

Age Well East, based in Colchester, estimates that more than 80,000 people in Essex experience loneliness. To help them tackle this problem, we have given them funding to run groups and activities across North Essex.

The popular friendship service provides the connections that people often lose in later life.  Linda, who lives alone, attends a Friday lunch club run by Age Well East. She enjoys nothing more than good company, a laugh and a chat.  Attending the club has transformed her life and she looks forward to meeting up with her new friends there every week.

“It is a lifeline for me, and I would say to anyone thinking about joining a lunch club that you’re never too old to make friends,” said Linda.

Friendship is recognised as a fundamental way of making people happier and building stronger communities.   Our grants help groups like Age Well East to thrive and ensure that friendship is not confined to September but flourishes all year round.

Some of the groups we have supported with grants over the past year include:

• Steeple Community Group – £1,000 to run a regular coffee afternoon and activities for over 45s.
• Tolleshunt Autumn Leaves Club – £3,000 to support the club which is 52 years old and has a membership of around 65 people. They organise regular outings, entertainment and lunches for isolated older people living in the rural area around Tolleshunt D’Arcy.
• Langdon Hills Over 60’s Club in Basildon – £2,500 to run a lunch club, as most people attending live alone and this is their main social interaction with others. Funding from ECF is also used towards the cost of hiring the club venue.
• The Thursday Club – £585 provided a Christmas celebration for older people in Bradwell-on-Sea and surrounding areas.
• Hockley and Hawkwell Day Centre – £7,000 to pay utility costs of the day centre which is open to elderly people in Rochford.
• Bereavement and Friendship Café in Clacton – £750 for transport and running costs.
• Age Concern Southend – £18,250 to expand their befriending service for lonely or isolated older people to help improve their mental health and wellbeing.