About us
Our purpose
We all need to feel connected, no matter our age - to share stories, to be heard and to have fun. As we get older or face life changes, opportunities for connection can become fewer. We understand how painful loneliness and isolation can be. That’s why we have made it our purpose to bring our community together through friendship.
With over 27 years of experience, we are a trusted local charity helping people move from isolation towards confidence, belonging and connection. Through skilled matching, compassionate support and nearly 200 activities and events each year, our dedicated team supports more than 1,300 people to feel valued and part of their community.
Our difference
Supporting someone who feels lonely or forgotten is something our whole community comes together to do. Our highly skilled team carefully matches volunteers and clients based on shared interests, personalities and life experiences, helping friendships to grow naturally and meaningfully. Volunteers show up with consistency and kindness, often building relationships that last for years.
Alongside one-to-one visits, our thriving online community, welcoming groups, fundraising events and activities throughout the year create opportunities for fun, confidence and new connections. From our weekly community café and social activities such as crafts and singing, to award-winning specialist programmes like Active Minds and Link to Nature, we help people build lasting friendships and feel part of something bigger.
From loneliness to social integration
We have developed a specialist pathway to support people in their journey to being better connected. As social well-being increases, the need for support from outside agencies reduces.
We provide a range of friendship-based services within our pathway framework, including telephone-based interim support ‘Link Express’, long-term one-to-one befriending, small social groups ‘Friendship Groups’ and larger community events.
Using our innovative and highly personalised approach, we evaluate how we can best assist our Link Friends to achieve social well-being.
Our award-winning charity
In April 2021, we were delighted and honoured to have been awarded The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service - the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK. Equivalent to an MBE, it is awarded for life.
We also received special recognition for our response to the pandemic. We could not be prouder of our incredible volunteer family, whose hard work and dedication are at the heart of all we do.
Making a difference
We are well-embedded in our local community, receiving referrals from many sources including Community Navigators and NHS Social Prescribers. Demand for our services continues to grow, with referrals increasing from an average of five per month pre-pandemic to 30.
Since 2016 the number of Link Friends has doubled and in the past 12 months numbers grew by 30%. We see the transformative impact of our work daily and receive wonderful feedback from our Link Friends who consistently rate our services highly (79% rating us excellent in our last survey) and allow us to assess their social well-being regularly.
Over 50% of new clients report an improvement in social wellbeing in the first 12 months of becoming a Link Friend
Our story
1998- Woodley Baptist Church reaches out to lonely people at Christmas
1998 - 2007 - Services expanded to 15 churches across Wokingham Borough
November 2007 - Initial donation from Seedbed Trust first part time employee Marjie Walker
April 2008 - 2009 - Wokingham Borough Council agree funding. second employee, plan to become charity
September 2010 - Link Visiting Scheme becomes a charity and a Limited company
2016 - New charity “Linking Lives” created to enable church based loneliness schemes
2018 - 5 part time staff, 285 volunteers, 300 “Link Friends”
2020/2021 - Covid lockdown, WBC asks Link to engage & help 3,000 most vulnerable residents.
021-23 - Demand continues to rise. Expanded reach through Friendship Alliance
2023 - Celebrating 25 years of friendship
Brian’s story
Brian was diagnosed with motor neurone disease seven years ago and now uses an iPad to communicate, which often leaves him feeling left behind in conversations. He misses the hobbies he once loved and has found socialising increasingly difficult.
After carefully matching him with volunteer Jenny, their first visits were a huge success. Brian laughed, played chess, and shared photos of his prize-winning garden.
His wife said hearing him laugh again was “pure joy” and that the visits have “lifted his mood enormously”. * Names changed
What’s on this month
Social connections are key to our wellbeing and having something fun in the diary to look forward to can make all the difference. From Singalong to Bowls, there’s something for everyone.
