Making friends and feeling part of the community can make a big difference to how we feel about ourselves, contributing both to improved general health and mental wellbeing. Some of us, however, lack confidence, are shy about meeting new people or are unaware of what support is on offer locally.
Place of Welcome Buddies will offer ‘a friendly ear’ and provide information about other local services and activities. There are Places of Welcome all across the Diocese of Lichfield area (The Black Country, Staffordshire, Stoke On Trent and north Shropshire) that provide a safe and welcoming environment for all members of the community, especially people who want to make new friends, find out what is happening locally or get some help and advice. These could be new mums or dads, people who have recently moved to the area, people living with challenging long term health conditions, or older people who want to stay in touch with their neighbourhood. For the locations of Places of Welcome near you, please see our local listings here, which indicate those that offer Buddying support.
If you think you would benefit from a buddy or are a referring agency who would like to refer someone to be matched with a buddy, then please download the attached referral form and email it to strengtheningcommunities@lichfield.anglican.org. One of the Places of Welcome Facilitators will then contact you to discuss the referral and arrange the first visit.
Disclaimer: All Places of Welcome volunteers, including Buddies, are required to comply with the national Safeguarding policy and procedures of Places of Welcome (Church Urban Fund) and also with any local Safeguarding policies and procedures applicable to the venue and the local host organisation. Volunteers and Buddies at Places of Welcome do not have unsupervised contact with children or vulnerable adults and, as such, are not subject to Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checks.
Download the Referal Form