#TakeTheTime - Where are we now?

On what is the start of Befriending Week - we're re-visiting our #TakeTheTime campaign to see the difference it has made.

New figures show nearly 1,300 people have signed up to become a befriender and give their time to support someone in need through our campaign.

One pair we helped match are John Dickson and Shelley O'Reilly. John heard our campaign on the radio and realised he could benefit from a befriender after losing his wife. Shelley signed up through our website and the pair were brought together in June. They now meet once a week.

We've been investigating the issue of loneliness and isolation across Scotland for a while now. We know that it's a problem that kills more people in this country than obesity does.

We've been working with charity Befriending Networks on this and our Chief Reporter Hope Webb sat down with the Chief Executive Sarah Van Putten (at our station Radio Forth) to talk about the difference the campaign has made and the work that still needs done.

If you believe you are able to give atleast an hour a week/fortnight of your time - you can sign up to become a befriender here.