It was great to get together with Antonia and the Friendlies folk to celebrate the 9th birthday of Friendlies this month.

The group's been running on Monday mornings since 2015, led by Antonia, inspired by the vision of offering a supportive and friendly space for adults who are facing challenges in life. When they couldn't meet in person through covid, the group moved to phone-based support and friendship

There's always a great vibe at the group. Each week there's an opportunity to catch up with one another through 'morning thoughts', and then to combine brainpower to tackle the word puzzle of the week and then have time and space to play games, do art or hear from a guest speaker. They are masters of Uno!

I popped to the 9th birthday party, and it was lovely to hear group members talk about what the group means to them. Here's some of the things they said:

'It's like a second family'

'I find help and support here when I need it.'

'I've made some really special new friends.'

A huge thanks to Antonia for all she gives to the group. And a huge congratulations for 9 years of friendship and support.