Dennis is a gentleman in his 90s who lives alone in his home in Doncaster. After a stay in hospital, our partners AgeUK Doncaster supported Dennis to transition back to independent living as part of their Home from Hospital programme. Part of this programme involves offering people a Community Circle, which can help them to achieve their goals and deepen community connections.

A small Circle with a big impact

Dennis had very few connections in his life, so this Circle has started with just Dennis and his volunteer facilitator, Alex.

Dennis chose Alex as his facilitator after seeing his one-page profile, which was shown to him by the team at AgeUK. Dennis has a very supportive neighbour in his life, but they don’t share his passion for football. When Dennis read about Alex’s interest in football, he thought that they would be a great fit.

Enjoying shared interests

Dennis’s Circle is still in its early days, but already he and Alex are enjoying some quality time together. Dennis has been able to share his impressive collection of football memorabilia with someone who really appreciates it, and Alex has taken Dennis out to some local matches.

Circle facilitators often find that they gain a lot from Circles too, and this was no exception. Alex’s grandfather was a professional footballer, but Alex didn’t know much about him. Through Dennis’s memories and collection of memorabilia, Alex has been able to learn more about his grandfather, too. Now Alex and Dennis are meeting up once a week, and their friendship continues to grow stronger; giving Dennis a new friend in his local community as well as a renewed passion for his favourite game.