Befriender Barbara Beebe is greeted by one of her clients, Clipsie Hough at her home in Brancaster Staithe.

West Norfolk Befriending have just been awarded a £2,000 grant by Norfolk Community Foundation to cover the costs of their office space and overheads for the upcoming year. The Kings Lynn based organisation serves to provide socially isolated older people with companionship on a regular basis and organises group social events. The service is extended to carers and deaf people from the age of 18. West Norfolk Befriending covers the region incorporating King Lynn and out to the coastal villages from Dersingham to the Burnhams. Norfolk Community Foundation is delighted to have been able to assist the continuation of this service by funding a large part of it’s annual expenses.

I was invited by Barbara Beebe, a Befriender, to come along to visit one of her weekly clients in Brancaster Staithe, Clipsie Hough. The public transport services in her area are very limited, and Clipsie suffers from osteo-arthritis so she finds buses extremely uncomfortable to use. After dealing with the death of her husband largely in isolation, Clipsie found that she didn’t have the confidence to go out and about on her own, as it been so long since she had done so. Also, her village life had been transformed by residents using the village as their second home, therefore diminishing its sense of community. Barbara visits Clipsie at her home every Wednesday. They chat and laugh and go out and about locally, either on foot or in Barbara’s car.

Barbara explained, “sometimes clients just want a friendly ear, sometimes they want to go to the market for a bit of shopping and sometimes they want to go for a meal in a pub or restaurant. As a fully able person, these are things I prefer in the company of others and if you are less able or socially and rurally isolated then it becomes even more important to have somebody to do these things with.”
Since becoming a client of West Norfolk Befriending, Clipsie says “I feel like I have entered society again.”
West Norfolk Befriending’s Manager, Carmel Wolverson explained that after recruiting appropriate Befrienders, they are trained to work initially on building the client’s confidence. “Many of our clients do not make social contact with many people at all, as so many of us now have our

family scattered around the country, so it’s important that a good trusting relationship is built initially. From there, when the client is ready, we expand their social networks by taking them out of the house for leisure or shopping and building up to a stage when they are happy to attend social events which we organise from time to time. We also try to arrange meetings between like-minded clients, that are often only separated by distance.”

“We rely heavily on grants to provide this service, so this £2,000 grant from Norfolk Community Foundation is fantastic as it ensures we have a base for Befrienders to drop in for supervision sessions which, due to the confidential nature of a lot of the work we do, is essential”

West Norfolk Befriending began from a partnership between West Norfolk Age Concern, West Norfolk Carers Association and West Norfolk Deaf Association three years ago. Now a fully independent charity in its own right, it has facilitated over 100 successful matches and holds a waiting list of potential clients who clearly need the valuable service.



Most clients are referred from the West Norfolk Community Rehab Team or Hunstanton and King’s Lynn Social Services. If you are somebody who would benefit from this valuable service, or know of anybody who would, West Norfolk Befriending can be contacted on 01553 763500 or info@wnbefrienders.org.uk. Equally, if you are able and have your own transport, you might consider becoming a Befriender in some of your free time. One regular Befriender commented “It is one of the most rewarding things I have ever done and I have met a very special new friend.” Contact Carmel Wolverson at the number listed above for further information.

Norfolk Community Foundation awards small grants to voluntary and community groups in Norfolk. For further info visit www.norfolkfoundation.com, telephone 01603 882148 or email info@norfolkfoundation.com.