Bradford Buddies

Who provides this service?

Bradford Council Adults Services Health & Wellbeing Department have commissioned Royal Mencap and Age UK (non for profit organisations) to provide a Bradford District Buddy Scheme.

What is the Bradford Buddies service?

The aim of the service is to match people with a volunteer who loves the same kind of activity so they can go together and provide Friendship Groups to support people to develop their own friendship groups focussed around a shared interest. The activities will be individual to the person supported, including, but not exclusively, live music, cinema, theatre, sports events, sharing a meal or pamper sessions.

Friendship group support will include facilitating events and opportunities for people to come together to find their own friendships and create networks through enjoying activities together. This element of the scheme is to support people to make connections so they can go to activities/events with each other, instead of and/or after the volunteer support has ended, and ensure they can continue to take part in social activities.

Who is the service for and how do I access it?

• • • • • • • • • • • • People with learning disabilities
                      • Older People
                      • Open to people who are Bradford district residents
                      • Provided across Bradford district
                      • For people aged over 18 with needs as identified above
                      • Referrals made by staff members in the Adults Services, Health and Wellbeing department

How do I become a volunteer for the Bradford Buddies service?

If you would like to volunteer for people with learning disabilities or who are neuro diverse use the Mencap become a volunteer link to find out more

If you would like to volunteer for Older People, use the Age UK become a volunteer link to find out more

The Bradford District Buddies Scheme service benefits from training, peer support and resources from the charity, Stay Up Late who created the Gig Buddies project model on which the service is based.  

The Gig Buddies project began from a campaign in 2006 to fight for the rights of people with learning disabilities to “stay up late” and not be restricted by support worker shifts. 

In 2013 Stay Up Late started Gig Buddies as a practical solution to this, matching volunteers and people with learning disabilities who shared interests around music to go to gigs together.  

Stay Up Late now share the Gig Buddies project model with like-minded organisations around the UK and even in Sydney, Australia. 

The project has evolved over the years and now matches people to be "buddied" for a range of activities, not just gigs and music.  

Our Bradford Buddies service looks to support volunteers and their buddies to access whatever activities and events they are interested in at whichever times suit them best. Including Friendship group support which will include facilitating events and opportunities for people to come together to find their own friendships

Find out more about: Stay Up Late, the Gig Buddies projects and other providers