Befriending Networks represented at APPG on Tackling Loneliness and Connected Communities

3rd December 2025

On Monday 24 November, we were delighted to join colleagues for the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) Marketplace in Westminster to highlight loneliness and the importance of building connection.

Hosted by Intergenerational England and the Campaign to End Loneliness, the Marketplace event showcased 8 grassroots organisations whose work reflects community strength across the loneliness and connected communities agenda. The event was an opportunity for direct dialogue with MPs and politicians, helping to highlight practice, share lived experience, and build MP support for the wider APPG programme.

Befriending was well represented and we were joined by our members London Irish Centre and Volunteer Centre Greenwich.

Intergenerational England said:

We were proud to stand alongside organisations who are building stronger, healthier and more connected communities every day. Events like this are crucial in bridging the gap between experience and policy, ensuring that the voices of practitioners, participants and communities inform future decisions.

We look forward to working alongside the Campaign to End Loneliness and Intergenerational England and MPs to make progress on building connection through befriending.

Find out more about the APPG on the Intergenerational England website.