Hello and Welcome!
Please support our work by becoming a Friend of GrandFriends.
Every Pound Counts.
Thank you!
We create rewarding connections between GrandFriends and younger people to remedy intergenerational loneliness together.
WHAT
GrandFriends UK The Company of Elders is a registered charity which launched in September 2022 in Oldfield Park in Bath.
We recruit, train and support people of retirement age, whom we describe as ‘elders’, to volunteer as GrandFriends and give their company through a range of innovative programmes designed to reach different younger age groups within our community, for mutual benefit.
The GrandFriends are at the heart of all we do and we rely in their insight to understand our impact, measured in experiences of connection. We have completed three years of programmes, which run concurrently with the academic year, and as at the end of Year 3 we have created:
- 4415 experiences of intergenerational connection
- 2251 experiences of peer connection between GrandFriends
September 2025 marks the start of our fourth year, during which we hope to expand our existing programmes within Bath, develop three new programmes and research a digital offering and replication to another region. Targets here:
WHY
GrandFriends is a grassroots initiative conceived by elders, parents, young people, education and medical professionals in Bath.
The charity is a joined-up solution to increasing intergenerational disconnect in our communities, caused by a number of structural and cultural factors - for example the drop in church attendance, increasing ageism, lack of interpersonal skills in younger people, digital exclusion of elders and more, all of which were exacerbated by COVID.
We saw the need for the inherently beneficial company of elders in many children and younger adults in our neighbourhoods, and simultaneously the lack of opportunity for many elders to connect with younger people in protected, regular and rewarding ways.
We focus on intergenerational loneliness as a sub-category of the national loneliness health crisis. The effect of chronic loneliness on older people’s mortality is equivalent to heavy smoking, and every pound spent on tackling loneliness in elders saves the NHS £3. Loneliness in children and young people is recognised as an indicator for mental and physical ill health, and lower academic and professional attainment.
HOW
Our work has been designed from inception with the insight of our GrandFriend volunteers, supportive members of the local community, and other organisations with experience and expertise.
Our current programmes are:
- Lunch & Play Time Visits
- Library Sessions
- The GrandFriends Sunday Socials
- The GrandFriends Hobbies Club
We also have a calendar of social events for our GrandFriends to enjoy each other's company throughout the year, with 'Cafe Collectives' socials, a Christmas party and Summer party.
WHO
We have over 40 GrandFriend volunteers who we empower to give their precious time to younger people who may be missing the company of elders through our innovative programmes.
We describe our volunteers as ‘elders’, meaning people who we respect for their experience and wisdom. Each of our elders have invaluable attributes which make them assets to the community.
Our volunteers currently range in age from early 60s to late 80s. Between them the GrandFriends come from a huge range of backgrounds and circumstances, each bringing their own unique skills.
We are recruiting! Please get in touch for an informal chat. All welcome.
