Please note: this post is 22 months old and The Cares Family is no longer operational. This post is shared for information only
2022 was a busy time for the Love Your Neighbour programme at Manchester Cares.
Love Your Neighbour is our one-to-one friendship programme, where we introduce a younger and an older neighbour so that they can share experiences and laughter and create a long-lasting friendship.
Last year saw an amazing 42 new friendship matches made. One of these pairs are Peter (66) and Chloe (25) who first met at a Desert Island Discs Social Club in October and have enjoyed regular phone calls since, where they’ve bonded over their passion for running. They’ve also been out exploring the local contemporary art scene together at the Manchester Art Fair!
Chloe told us “Being paired with Pete has really made a difference to my life, especially being new to Manchester. We both have so much in common and time absolutely flies when we’re chatting”. It’s so lovely to hear how beneficial the friendship has been so far to both Peter and Chloe, and we look forward to hearing more of what they get up to this year.
Hearing about all the fun and exciting things that our Love your Neighbour matches got up to in 2022 is really making us excited for the year ahead, and with 1,072 visits and phone calls between older and younger neighbours, there was plenty of great conversation and connections made throughout the year.
Coming up to a year since they were first matched are Susan (71) and Sophie (24), who since they were introduced have regularly caught up with each other and met for coffee and catch-ups in their local Starbucks. They enjoy finding out what each other’s family have been up to, and Susan loves to hear about Sophie’s work as a trainee Doctor.
Here they are enjoying a chippy tea at Susan's back in Spring.
With so many potential friendships waiting to be discovered, and new perspectives and stories to be shared, we can’t wait for the year ahead.