Befriended was set up in 2017 with the mission of ending loneliness and isolation among older people living in Mid Sussex.

The charity also offers bereavement support to people of all ages through its Compassionate Conversations course, Grief Cafes and Company lunch club.

Befriended offers a range of services to older people living in the Mid Sussex area. This includes the towns of Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill, along with the surrounding villages such as Lindfield, Hassocks, Hurstpierpoint and Cuckfield.

Befriended has only one full-time member of staff and one part-time administrator, who are helped by an amazing team of volunteers. For more information on volunteering, click here.

Some statistics on what Befriended did in 2023:

  • Hosted over 1000 older people for afternoon tea
  • Held over 40 exercise classes
  • Helped over 100 bereaved people with our grief course
  • Delivered chaplaincy to over 1000 people in care homes
  • Took 126 older people on theatre trips & outings
  • Launched a new weekly community choir with over 40 regular attendees
  • Started a grief café in two venues
  • Hosted over 80 people for Christmas lunch

In 2023, our CEO and Founder Gail Millar was one of only 500 people in the UK to be presented with a Coronation Champion Award to recognise her contribution to the community.

Befriended is absolutely delighted to have won a place on the Cinnamon Network Incubator programme 24/26 for their Compassionate Conversations Project.

Gail and Sally will be attending the two year programme to learn from experts in how to replicate and grow Compassionate Conversations enabling hundreds of Churches, organisations and communities to provide support for people experiencing loss and bereavement.

“I am so excited at what the future holds for Compassionate conversations, I have seen the impact this course has had on so many grieving people, it has turned darkness into light, sadness to joy, hopelessness to hope, and I want it to be available and accessible to everyone who needs it” Gail

“I attended this course in grieving the death of my Mum, it was brilliant and changed the trajectory of my life,  I now have purpose and know I can help others on their journey” Sally

On November 13th the final takes place where Gail and four others will present their projects.  One of the projects will win funding of £20,000 in addition to the two year incubator programme.