Chwe mis o Linking Lives Cymru / Six months of Linking Lives Cymru

6th November 2025

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Cymraeg

Mae’n hysbys bod unigrwydd cronig yn epidemig. Mae hefyd yn eithaf hysbys bod y sector elusennol yn ei chael hi’n anodd yn gyffredinol – o ran cyllid ac o ran denu a chadw gwirfoddolwyr, yn enwedig ar gyfer y math o ymrwymiad rheolaidd a pharhaus sydd ei angen ar gyfeillio i weithio’n dda. Mae rhai gwasanaethau cyfeillio wedi gorfod cau yn ystod y flwyddyn ddiwethaf, ac mae’r angen am wasanaethau o’r fath ond yn cynyddu. Gall cymunedau ffydd fod yn rhan o’r ateb i fynd i’r afael â’r ffenomenon hwn sy’n ehangu.

Ers y gwanwyn, mae Befriending Networks wedi bod yn gweithio gyda Linking Lives UK, sy’n cefnogi eglwysi i archwilio sefydlu cynlluniau Cyfeillio. Nod y prosiect partneriaeth hwn, Linking Lives Cymru, yw darparu cymorth i bum cynllun cyfeillio newydd yng Nghymru. Mae cymunedau ffydd mewn sefyllfa dda i gynnig rhywbeth tuag at ddiwallu’r angen i fynd i’r afael ag unigrwydd cronig yng Nghymru. Mewn llawer o achosion, maent eisoes yn rhedeg gwasanaethau hanfodol i bobl sy’n aml wedi’u hynysu’n gymdeithasol, gan fod hyn yn croestorri â llawer o heriau eraill y mae pobl yn eu hwynebu mewn bywyd: o leoedd cynnes a banciau bwyd i foreau coffi . Mae ganddyn nhw gronfa o wirfoddolwyr gweithredol a darpar-wirfoddolwyr gyda strwythur cymorth a chymuned adeiledig o’u cwmpas, ac maen nhw eisiau bod yn rym er daioni.

Dros y 6 mis diwethaf, rydw i wedi bod yn meithrin perthnasoedd â chymunedau ledled y wlad, gan gerdded gyda nhw wrth iddyn nhw feddwl am ba fath o ddull o gyfeillio y gallen nhw ei gymryd. Mae’r diddordeb a’r meddylgarwch wedi bod yn anhygoel. Rydw i wedi cwrdd â phobl yn Abertawe ac wedi cymryd rhan yn eu gweledigaeth ar gyfer sut y gall eu gwaith wasanaethu eu cymuned orau, wedi cydweithio ag Eglwysi yng Nghaerdydd i gynllunio gweithdy cyffrous i wirfoddolwyr, wedi siarad ag arweinwyr yr Eglwys yng Nghymru am y posibilrwydd o weithio gyda’u strwythurau i ehangu eu cynnig ymweliadau cartref ac wedi gweithio gyda chymunedau yng Ngogledd Cymru i’w helpu i feddwl am sut maen nhw’n cynnig cyfeillio i fyfyrwyr rhyngwladol ym Mhrifysgol Bangor . Rydw i wedi dysgu am gynlluniau gwych y mae eglwysi a sefydliadau Cristnogol – ac yn wir cymunedau ffydd eraill (ac wrth gwrs gwirfoddolwyr o bob ffydd a dim ffydd) – yn rhan ohonyn nhw hefyd, o archwilio piblinell wirfoddoli rhwng eglwysi yng Nghasnewydd, De Cymru a gwasanaethau cyfeillio lleol i bobl ddigartref, i elusen genedlaethol sy’n darparu gwasanaeth cyfeillio newydd i rieni sengl.

Yn ystod y 6 mis nesaf o’r prosiect, byddaf yn edrych i gysylltu â hyd yn oed mwy o gymunedau sydd â diddordeb mewn cael eu cefnogi i sefydlu cynllun cyfeillio. Rwyf am bartneru ag eglwysi i gynnal gweithdai mewn gwahanol rannau o Gymru, gwirfoddolwyr gwadd a’r rhai sydd â diddordeb mewn bod yn gyfeillwyr i ddatblygu eu sgiliau wrth wrando ac ymgysylltu â phobl sy’n profi unigrwydd cronig. Os hoffech chi siarad am gydweithio, cysylltwch â mi – byddwn wrth fy modd yn clywed gennych chi!

English

It’s well known that chronic loneliness is an epidemic. It’s also fairly well known that the charity sector is really struggling in general – both in funding and in attracting and retaining volunteers, especially for the sort of regular and sustained commitment befriending needs to work well. Some befriending services have had to close in the last year, and the need for such services is only increasing. Faith communities can be part of the solution to addressing this widening phenomenon.

Since the spring, Befriending Networks has been working with Linking Lives UK, which supports churches to explore setting up Befriending schemes. This partnership project, Linking Lives Cymru, aims to provide support for five new befriending schemes in Wales. Faith communities are well placed to offer something towards meeting the need for tackling chronic loneliness in Wales. In many cases they are already running vital services for people who are often socially isolated, since this intersects with many other challenges people face in life: from warm spaces and food banks to coffee mornings. They have a pool of active and potential volunteers with a built-in support structure and community around them, and they want to be a force for good.

Over the last 6 months I’ve been building relationships with communities across the country, walking with them as they think about what sort of approach to befriending they might take. The interest and thoughtfulness has been overwhelming. I’ve met with people in Swansea and participated in their visioning for how their work can best serve their community, collaborated with Churches in Cardiff to plan an exciting workshop for volunteers, spoken with leaders of the Church in Wales about potentially working with their structures to widen their home visiting offer and worked with communities in North Wales to help think about how they offer befriending to international students at Bangor University. I’ve learned about fantastic schemes that churches and Christian organisations – and indeed other faith communities (and of course volunteers of all faiths and none) – are involved in too, from exploring a volunteer pipeline between churches in Newport, South Wales and local befriending services for homeless people, to a national charity delivering a new befriending service to single parents.

In the next 6 months of the project I’ll be looking to connect with even more communities interested in being supported to set up a befriending scheme. I want to partner with churches to host workshops in different parts of Wales, invited volunteers and those interested in being befrienders to develop their skills in listening and engaging with people experiencing chronic loneliness. If you’d like to talk about working together, please reach out – I’d love to hear from you!