You've got a friend who will be happy to talk if you are lonely

AT the time of writing, it is impossible to ignore the fact that it is nearly one year to the day since Spain entered lockdown and our worlds changed in ways that we could hardly have imagined.
To take a very small example, who would have thought that, one year on, pretty much every English speaker in Spain would be familiar with the expression curfew? A curfew was something that belonged either in the past or somewhere far distant from dear, relaxed, dinner-at-10pm Spain. Or so we thought.
And just as we have learned new language and how to deal with new restrictions, we have also learned to interact with each other differently. Families get together on Zoom as a matter of course now. Who would have thought of that in March 2020?
At Age in Spain, we also recognized that even in normal times older people often find their circle of friends gets smaller and that it can be hard to make new friends. That’s why we launched Friendline, our free telephone friendship service for English speakers in Spain who are over 60.
Since December last year the team of Friendline volunteers have been making calls and making a difference. In fact, we now have 37 volunteers already trained (and 19 more awaiting training). This means if you or someone you know in Spain would benefit from a regular friendly call, we can be there for you. Do get in touch.
Find out more about Friendline at www.ageinspain.org/friendline.
Thank you for taking the time to read this news article “You’ve got a friend who will be happy to talk if you are lonely”.