Gig Buddies - Stay Up Late

Service

Gig Buddies is a volunteer befriending scheme that matches young adults with learning disabilities and/or autism with a volunteer friend who enjoys the same cultural activities as they do. This could be going to see live bands but could also be anything from watching football matches to visiting museums. Whatever your 'gig' is we'll aim to find a volunteer. All volunteers are vetted and trained and receive ongoing support.

What we do:

Volunteer befriending scheme
We match people through shared love of the same music or cultural activity. We ask volunteers to commit to 2 gigs a month.
Potential participants can self-refer through our simple application form. There's also a simple application process for volunteers.
All volunteers are trained, have full DBS checks and receive on-going support. We meet all participants and volunteers before they are matched, and support the matching process.
The project is built on peer-support, recognising that you can't buy your friends. Additionally we have an advisory group made up people with learning disabilities who oversee the running of the project.