Together Co supported 3,006 people last year and is looking for befrienders

Together Co^1,2 supported 3,006 people in Brighton and Hove in 2025/26, according to the loneliness charity’s latest impact report. The year also marked the charity’s 25th anniversary. Now it is looking for new volunteers.

Befriending is still the core of it. The charity befriended 468 people last year, and 94% of them said it had a positive impact on their wellbeing. A new befriending social group opened in Coldean, joining the groups in Kemptown and central Brighton.

“I love meeting everybody and talking to people. I also enjoy the games and the music and the dancing,” said Marlene, 89, who goes to one of the groups.

The charity also runs social prescribing with its Social Prescribing (SP) Plus partners. Last year that meant 1,328 referrals and 2,405 sessions, and link workers made 4,070 onward referrals to 540 different agencies. Another 431 people referred themselves.

The work runs on volunteers. The charity had 472 last year, 129 of them new, and together they gave 12,341 hours. Of the volunteers surveyed, 91% said their own wellbeing had improved.

Its volunteer page lists four roles. Befrienders give company to someone in the city who wants it. Wellbeing befrienders do the same for people experiencing loneliness and social isolation, and the charity says their understanding can come from lived experience, caring or their work. Remote admin volunteers make calls from home. Minibus helpers get guests on and off the bus to the Coldean group.

You don’t need any experience. The charity takes up two references, and the majority of roles need an enhanced DBS check. The charity says “a criminal record does not necessarily prevent someone from volunteering with Together Co”. Some roles need volunteers to be over 18. Some volunteers help one day a year and others once or twice a week.

The process starts with an application form, then an informal chat in person, by phone or online, and an induction at the office in central Brighton.