We were delighted to welcome Ellie Simmonds, gold medal winning Paralympian and sports broadcaster, to Sutton to meet some of our activity buddies. This was filmed for BBC Morning Live in the run up to Red Nose Day, as part of a series highlighting charities funded by Comic Relief.

Watch the BBC Morning Live episode (12 mins in) on iPlayer here

As Ellie said at the beginning of the segment, “I’ve made some of my closest friends through sport and they’ve become friends for life. But if you’re feeling lonely and isolated it can be quite daunting making new friends.”

Our project pairs volunteers with those who feel lonely and isolated to help them get out and give them confidence to meet new friends. 

Ellie came along to Grove Park and the Westcroft Leisure Centre in Carshalton to meet three of our activity buddy pairs. Ellie met Nikhil and Rhys, Pauline and Irene, and Katherine and Rachel. Great fun was had by all!

We have matched over 100 people since the start of this project in 2022, and with the help of donations to Comic Relief, we hope to be able to support more people.

Thank you to everyone who donates to Comic Relief, to the team at the Westcroft Leisure Centre and Everyone Active for hosting us and for making filming possible, and last but not least, thank you to Comic Relief for funding us!

Donate to Comic Relief here

Find out more about Sutton Befrienders