Are you feeling lonely or stressed at home? Need a friendly chat with someone who understands? The BuDS BuDDies are here to help!
What is BuDDies?
BuDDies is a befriending scheme for disabled people in England who are feeling lonely or stressed at home. BuDDies is available to all disabled people in England who want friendly conversation with someone who understands. It is a free service, and can continue for as long as it is wanted.
It’s Good To Talk
BuDDies is about friendly social conversation between two people. It is not a mental health, therapy, or counselling service, although you can of course talk about your mental health if you wish. Although BuDDies is a service only for disabled people, you don’t have to talk about disability, unless you want to. BuDDies is a safe space where you can talk about whatever you like, with a friendly, confidential, and understanding person.
Talking Your Way
Most people talk to their BuDDy by telephone. However, we can arrange video calls if you’d prefer one. If you are a BSL user, we will match you with a BuDDy who can talk using BSL.
If you don’t like talking on the phone, you can talk to your BuDDy by message using any major messaging app such as Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Facebook Messenger, etc. We can’t use SMS text messages, sorry!
Who Are The BuDDies?
BuDDies are BuDS volunteers who want to make a difference for others. They are all trained and safeguarded, and many of them are disabled people themselves. When you join BuDDies, we ask you about the sort of person you would like to talk to, and your interests. We will then try to match you to a BuDDy who is best suited to support you.
How Do You Join BuDDies?
You can join BuDDies in two ways:
- Contact us directly using our online form. If you cannot use the form, you can leave us a voicemail and we will call you back to help you fill in the form.
- If you are supported by a mental health, community, social care, or other professional service, you can ask them to refer you to us using our online form.
There are sadly always more people needing BuDDies than we can support. Anyone we cannot help immediately will be put on a waiting list, and contacted when we find a BuDDy for them.
Our Online Form
To use our online form to refer yourself for a BuDDy, or to refer one of your service users for a BuDDy, please use the button below.
Leave Us A Voicemail
Just call 01494 211179 any time, and leave a voicemail. Select Option 4, and leave your message, making it clear that you would like a BuDDy and would like someone to call you back. Make sure to leave your name and number as well!
Can I Become A BuDDy?
We always welcome new BuDDies. BuDDies are the BuDS volunteers who befriend and support isolated and lonely disabled people. This is a really rewarding role which can be done flexibly, and in your own time. No particular skills or experience is needed, just a friendly, caring, and non-judgemental approach and a willingness to be a “buddy” to someone who needs a friend.
To learn more, and express an interest, use the button below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Click on the question to show the answer.
We are hoping to hold several fun social events in the spring and summer of 2026. Everyone matched with a BuDDy, and everyone on the waiting list, will be invited to these events. They will be fully accessible for all disabled people, completely free of charge, and we are hoping to be able to help with transport too. Look out for details coming soon.
BuDDies receives no public funding, and donations are always welcome. You can find out how to donate using the button below.
At the moment, we do not offer face to face meetings (although we can arrange video calls). We would very much like to be able to do this, but it is more complicated than it appears. If we are able to offer this in the future, your BuDDy will tell you about it.
BuDS welcomes feedback, both positive and negative. If you’d like to give us any feedback about BuDDies, or your particular BuDDy, you can do so confidentially using the form below. This information will be shared directly with BuDS senior staff and trustees. It will not be seen by your BuDDy, or anyone connected with the BuDDies project.
Complaints will be investigated in accordance with the BuDS Complaints Policy, which can be found here.
You will agree with your BuDDy how often you will talk, and for how long. BuDDies are volunteers, and so calls have to be organised around their availability as well as yours. There are no hard and fast rules.
Many support services limit you to a fixed number of sessions, for example 6 sessions or a period of 12 weeks. BuDDies does not have these limits. Subject to the availability of your volunteer BuDDy, talks can happen for a short period of weeks, or for months. Sometimes people only want one or two calls, and that is fine as well.
Yes. BuDS’ policy is to keep the BuDDies project running indefinitely. We may need to adjust the scale of the project up or down according to funding, but we will always do our best to make sure that active BuDDy partnerships keep going regardless.
Yes. Everything you discuss with your BuDDy is kept in confidence inside BuDS. This includes any notes which your BuDDy may take.
We will never share anything you tell us with anyone outside BuDDies (including the BuDS safeguarding team) without your permission. The only exception would be if we have reasonable grounds to be concerned about a serious risk to your health and safety. If this occurs, we may share information with the emergency services and NHS so that they can keep you safe.
Yes. BuDS has invested in a highly secure online system which is used by many other confidential agencies such as local authorities and Citizens Advice Bureau. All your personal information, and any notes about you, are kept on this system, which is encrypted, password protected, and closely monitored. If you’d like any more information, please do get in touch.
BuDS is a registered data controller with the Information Commissioner’s Office. Your data will be held securely and only authorised people will have access to it. BuDS does not share data with any organisation except as required by law.
You have the legal right to see the data which BuDS holds about you. If you would like to make a Subject Access Request under the Data Protection Act, please email info@buds.org.uk with the words “Subject Access Request” in the title, or call 01494 211179 and select Option 4 to leave a voicemail with your details. We will then call you back.
BuDS takes safeguarding very seriously. All BuDDies, and all other staff and volunteers involved in the project, are subject to the highest level of police background checks (enhanced DBS for both adult and child workforces). We also take up personal and professional references. The BuDDies project officer, and the BuDS support manager, both conduct random audits of call logs to ensure good safeguarding practice. BuDS has a number of qualified safeguarding officers who will be called in if required.
BuDDies is currently kindly funded by the following:
- Heart of Bucks
- The Rothschild Foundation
- The Barchester’s Charitable Foundation
- Arnold Clark
- The Rectory Foundation
- BuDS General Fund
If your company or trust makes grants and donations, please consider supporting BuDDies. It is a unique and highly valued service which supports the most vulnerable and isolated people in England. To discuss further, please email our fundraising team using the button below.
Not unless you tell them yourself. BuDS will never share anything you tell us with anyone outside BuDDies (including the BuDS safeguarding team) without your permission. The only exception would be if we have reasonable grounds to be concerned about a serious risk to your health and safety. If this occurs, we may share information with the emergency services and NHS so that they can keep you safe.
Absolutely not. BuDS does not work with, accept money from, or share information with the DWP.
We know disabled people often have a very troubled relationship with the DWP and, as disabled people ourselves, we will not do anything which might cause any problems in that area.