Befriending Week

1 – 7 November

Befriending Week is the national campaign celebrating and raising awareness of befriending and the positive impact it has on individuals and communities.

During the week, we invite those in the befriending sector to reflect on their achievements over the previous year, thank volunteers and staff, celebrate their service users, and share their message with stakeholders, government and the public.

Our Befriending Week theme for 2026 is Supporting each other through meaningful connections.

Befriending Networks staff celebrate Befriending Week 2024

Befriending Week is also an opportunity to look into the future by raising awareness of how befriending helps to tackle isolation and create community connections, in-person and at a distance.

Befriending Week was established in 2012 by Befriending Networks, working in collaboration with our membership and strategic partners.

Get involved in Befriending Week!

There are many ways to get involved with Befriending Week. Each year, we release a host of resources for you to use with your volunteers, service users and community. We also facilitate events to help you plan your contribution to the campaign and throughout the week itself, including our Annual Conference.

We encourage you to get involved on social media using #BefriendingWeek and #WythnosCyfeillio.

Download Resources

Book Events

Befriending Networks is a small charity but our impact is big: our network reaches 22,000 volunteers and their matches across the UK every year. Donate today to support our work.