Tiffini Holdsworth has been the Telephone Friendship Service (TFS) Administrator since September 2023. Her job involves coordinating volunteers and the people using the service, and ensuring every conversation is a safe, warm and up-lifting experience. Tiffini, who is also volunteer phone buddy herself, explains the impact friendship and a phone call can have on the veterans using the service and on the volunteers who speak to them.

As we celebrate three years of Telephone Friendship, I find myself filled with gratitude for the power of one simple call, how it can span miles, bring laughter and, in its quiet way, remind us all that we long to be heard.

Describing what this service truly offers feels almost impossible. It’s so much more than a weekly conversation, it’s sharing life’s chapters: planting tomatoes in the garden; debating over the best way to make a cheese toastie; or discussing our favourite TV shows. It’s connection at its purest − a pair of voices offering moments that warm your heart in ways which are hard to put into words.

Working within Telephone Friendship Service is discovering something new every day. No two calls, stories, or moments are quite the same. It often feels like putting together a puzzle and finding the right pieces to make sure each connection fits just right.

We feel truly blessed to have a team of exceptional volunteers, some of whom are veterans themselves who give their time, week after week, simply because they care. Their warmth, empathy and dedication shine through in every conversation. It is absolutely thanks to them that this service exists at all. We couldn’t thank them enough for the love and light they bring.

For the veterans we support, what starts as a weekly call often becomes a real friendship. We may never meet face-to-face, but the voices we hear belong to extraordinary people, with rich lives and incredible stories. Like veteran John handing out “lucky pegs” to share joy; Bob building a matchstick trinket box and bursting with pride to tell us; or Margaret reading us a children’s book she has written. All these stories make each moment precious and we pour our hearts into making each one meaningful.

Telephone Friendship Service isn’t just about calls, it’s about building bridges, celebrating the simple joy of human connection, and maybe sprinkling a little pixie dust on someone’s day. Maybe that’s the real magic − that a single phone call can change a day, lift a spirit, and remind us all we are never alone.