Fill your September with friendship

Friendship Month (September) is designed to bring people together and remind us of how important friendship is to our wellbeing and it turns out that those over 55 aren’t slowing down when it comes to making new friends!

In the past five years, more than half (54%) have made a significant new friend – meeting them in a bar, pub or café (17%), on holiday (11%), taking part in an activity like walking, gardening or book clubs (11%) and at organised community events (10%), according to a new survey carried out by national friendly society the Oddfellows.

As we journey through life, we go through many stages of transition – retirement, relocation, losing loved ones, which mean that some friendships may slip away or don’t nourish us in the same way. To combat this, Dr Denise Taylor, an expert psychologist, has helped the Oddfellows to create a ‘Friendship MOT’, a free online tool which enables older adults to assess their friendship needs and check whether they are being met and identify any gaps.

Aston spoke to Dr Denise Taylor, psychologist and after life coach and Jane Nelson, CEO of the Oddfellows.