With a new boss, a new identity and a new funding challenge, it is all change at a charity for adults with learning disabilities. Catherine Priestley reports

CHANGING people’s lives by enabling independence, dignity and choice’.

That will be the new slogan of the Befriender Scheme when it is renamed One to One later this month (June 19th onwards)- and Mike Russell thinks it sums up the charity’s work perfectly.

The organisation, based in Spennymoor, County Durham, provides befrienders to help adults with learning disabilities.

They give them the one-to-one support they need to take part in their choice activities such as shopping, eating out, exercising, visiting attractions and trying new hobbies.

New manager Mike Russell says: “When you think of a befriender you think of a friend but it is much more than that, we are changing people’s lives.

“That is why we are changing name, to better reflect what we do and I think the strapline is really important as it tells people exactly what we do.”

Before heading the charity, Mike worked in community development securing funds for a bustling community centre in Dawdon, County Durham.

“This is so different, I’m getting emotionally involved as I learn how much of a difference we can make.

“You go behind closed doors and cannot believe what some poor people put up with in silence.

“It isn’t their fault just the way their lives are but it can be tough for the whole family, we can be part of a much bigger picture that helps them out,” he said.

At the moment there are 13 befrienders on the books that support just over 20 clients across the county.

Befrienders are carefully matched up with clients and become a regular, reliable companion to help them take part in their chosen activities.

Coordinator Josie Stamp says a regular visit from a befriender can boost a client’s health, wellbeing, independence and skills, offer social interaction and give both they and their carers respite from one another.

As she puts it: “Having someone just for you, someone special who will come at a certain time and can take you away from normal day to day routine to do something you like is really valuable.

“Often the work a befriender does for a client may seem a simple thing that any family member could do but the point is it is someone different - just for them, to help them do what they want and can give them a fresh outlook on life.

“A change can do the world of good.”

SHE has a list of stories about how the lives of clients have been enriched by a befriender.

One man asked to be taken to the local to watch darts when first paired up by the charity - a decade on he has grown in confidence so much he now goes alone and plays himself.

Another, in his 30s, lived with his mother and enjoyed getting out of the house with a regular trip to the pub for a pint of coke aided by his befriender.

When his mother passed away, the constant support and comfort his befriender offered was key to him remaining independent as they went shopping together and he learnt to manage money and make healthy choices.

Changes to the way the charity gets funds from Durham County Council, facing its own financial challenges, mean fewer clients get money from social services to specifically pay for its service.

There is enough money in the coffers to enable new clients to get a befriender for six months before they must decide whether to pay for the service themselves beyond that.

The charity also needs to generate more cash to ensure it can continue to work with people across the county for years to come.

Mike says: “I’m optimistic, we are working with various funding bodies and hope and need to get more clients who can pay.”

Josie adds: “It is difficult when an individual or family is trying to manage finances to balance the cost with the benefit of having a befriender.

“They may feel they can do what the befriender does but then other things can get in the way or they are too close to see what the person wants.”

  • For information visit the website befriender.co.uk or call 01388-816784.