Elderly charity LEAP has become the first organisation in the UK to be awarded Excellence in Quality in Befriending for the fourth time.

The charity had become the first older persons’ organisation to be granted the award back in 2014 and has held it through three subsequent reviews.

The review covered every area of befriending, from attracting volunteers to their training and development, and assessor Angus Maclean, from Befriending Networks, was delighted with the level of quality shown throughout the charity.

“Having now achieved for the fourth time is a testament to the commitment of the organisation and its staff and volunteers in providing nationally approved and recognised standards for befriending services to such a high level.

“I was delighted to be able to attend their AGM and present them with their award, and wish them all the best for the future.”

Georgie Madden, LEAP’s business development manager, said: “We were first directed to pursuing the accreditation by the National Lottery in 2013 and we have never looked back since.

“Having QiB accreditation has not only helped us to continuously improve and develop our befriending services, it has been vital to obtaining funding for the service as it shows funders they are putting resources into a worthwhile and quality service.

“We look forward to continuing our work with Befriending networks for years to come."