We are kicking off this year’s Christmas Appeal! This week only, your donations are DOUBLED by the Big Give!! We have from 2nd-9th December to try and double as many donations as possible. This exciting opportunity means your support can go twice as far to help us extend our Befriending Programme for unpaid carers. This will help us create more opportunities for one to one support, more moments of connection, and more relief for carers who are navigating overwhelming responsibilities.
Help us give the Gift of Friendship this week! Donate here
Across Scotland, over 1.7 million adults have provided unpaid care at some point, and 700,000 are currently caring for a family member or friend. Many carers face long delays in accessing support, ongoing stress, and limited help once their caring role ends. This is where we step in. Our befriending programme already delivers more than 2,500 hours of companionship each year, but demand continues to grow, and we need your support to expand this vital lifeline.
For one unpaid carer, our befriending service became a source of support during a turbulent time, when the demands of work and caring responsibilities left her in need of a listening ear. After two bereavements and the sudden closure of their mother’s late-stage dementia care home, this befriendee was balancing part-time work while caring for a daughter with complex mental health needs. Through regular meetings with a befriender, whether over coffee or at our community hub, they found a safe space to explore anxiety and stress, carve out time for themselves, and gain steady encouragement during an incredibly challenging period.
Help more carers find the space, support, and encouragement they deserve:
This week, £5 can become £10!
Just £10 could support one befriending match with a coffee and a chat each week, creating a simple moment that can make a world of difference.
£25 can become £50!
£50 could fund a day out each month for a befriending match, creating a treasured memory and bringing joy and connection to carers in need of relief.
£100 can become £200!
With £200, we could expand our volunteer training programme, ensuring our growing numbers of befrienders receive grief and bereavement training.
Visit our campaign page to donate, and to watch our Christmas appeal video. Click here
We currently have 30 matches in our programme. Every donation, big or small, will be doubled, and helps us reach more carers, offering relief, understanding, companionship, and safety.
Your support keeps this lifeline alive for those who need it most. Thank you!
