About our befriending service

Our befriending service supports children aged between 5 and 12 years old who are finding life challenging. We match them with an experienced volunteer for weekly chat and games. The service provides the child with a trusted adult who is able to listen to their thoughts and worries, bring fun and distraction to their day and provide a positive adult role model. The service is free and the child receives a welcome pack of goodies when they start.

How to refer to our befriending service

Children can be referred to us by other organisations or families can self refer to us. Please complete the form below and email it to Sarah Hynds, our Early Intervention Worker on sarahhynds@purpleelephant.org.uk. For more information about the service please call Sarah on 07598 462768.

Download the Referral Form

Volunteer for our befriending service

The service is reliant upon the input of our kind volunteers and we’re looking for more! If you have recent experience of working with children and can spare an hour a week to support them, we’d love to hear from you. Ideally volunteers will have a current DBS clearance and safeguarding training, but these can be provided for you, and we’ll support you with ongoing training. Contact suewillis@purpleelephant.org.uk for more information.