Telephone friendship, and real introductions
Nattergale is a telephone friendship service for people living alone. Calls on your schedule from a voice that remembers you, introductions to other members with shared interests, and games to play together. All on an ordinary telephone. Nothing to install, nothing to learn.
How
No wifi. Nothing to install. Just pick up the phone and give us a call.
What the calls are for
Company
- A voice that remembers youevery call picks up where the last left off
- Calls when you want themdays, times, how often, all yours
- Any hour, any dayring whenever, a voice that is awake
- Memory lane“Tell me about 1966” and off we go
- A story before bedread aloud, or made up together
- Someone to celebrate withbirthdays, anniversaries, the small wins
People
- Real introductionssomeone who shares your interests, only if you both say yes
- Games with a friendwe host the first game, then you two carry on
- A message to family“Tell my daughter I’m fine”, we pass it on, with your say-so
- A natter for threewe bring a friend onto the call
- Members who know your townpeople who share your streets and your memories
- A regular date with a friendonce you have clicked, we keep the day and ring you both
Knowing things
- The news, read to youheadlines, weather, football, at your pace
- What’s on nearbythis week, close to you, worth the trip
- Is the bus runningdiversions, times, the last one home
- Look it up for mewe find out and ring you back with the answer
- Not sure about a letterread it to us and we’ll say what it means
- What’s that wordcrosswords, spellings, the name on the tip of your tongue
Getting things done
- A nudge when you need one“Ring me Thursday about the dentist”
- Shopping list, keptadd to it all week, we read it back on the day
- Help with a phone menuwe stay on the line and talk you through it
- Book it for melunch club place, library, the hairdresser, with your OK
- Ring the right peoplethe council, the water board, the doctor’s desk, you on the line, us helping
- Keep a note for latersay it once, we hold it until you ask
Play
- Games to playGuess the Year, Finish the Proverb, Twenty Questions, Two Truths and a Lie
- Quiz nightsa weekly quiz between members
- Sing alongfinish the lyric, name that tune
- Recipes from the cupboardwhat you have, what you could make
- Crossword cluesa clue read out, worked out together
- Story chainwe start a tale, you add the next line
You can say
- “What’s the weather doing?”
- “Let’s play Guess the Year”
- “Read me this letter”
- “Is the number 7 running today?”
- “Tell me about the day I was born”
- “Ring me on Thursday morning”
- “I fancy a natter”
Why we are building this
The issue
People living alone wait months, sometimes years, for a befriending volunteer, because there are never enough volunteers. Loneliness does not wait.
Where it leads
Real friendships. Two people ringing each other.
- Someone who shares your interestswho grew up where you did, or worked where you worked.
- Nobody is introducedunless you both say yes, and neither hears of it otherwise.
Who it could be good for
For
- People living alone, whose days have gone quiet
- The recently widowed or bereaved
- Anyone whose family live far away, or cannot ring as often as they wish
- People who find it harder to get out than they used to
- Anyone new to an area, starting again
And for the people around them
- Families who live far away
- Charities and coordinators with long befriending lists
- Anyone deciding how care money is spent, who wants something auditable
We are not better than a friend. We are better than the wait for one, and we would rather introduce you to a friend than be one.
Be part of the first calls
We will begin with a small pilot… a limited number of members, looked after very closely, free of charge. If you would like a place for yourself or someone you love, or you run a befriending service with a waiting list we could help carry, we would like to hear from you.
Register interest