Be a Friendly Face

How it started

Sorry if this is a bit long, but I wanted to explain fully how the idea came about. So please bear with me—and feel free to grab a cuppa.

I used to stop briefly to chat or buy coffee and a sausage roll for a homeless person when I was in town, and more regularly for whoever was sat outside the local Co-op. But after a while, I started to feel overwhelmed by the number of people I could see—even in a small area. I didn’t want to buy for one person and ignore the others, but there was no way I could afford to buy for everyone.

Then one night, I had a strange urge to walk to the Co-op at 2am in the rain to get cigarettes. No idea why—I never normally go to the shop just for cigs at that time, especially in heavy rain. I saw the form of a person trying to keep dry in a phone box. I walked over, not sure what to say but wanting to say something. Ever had one of those moments where your brain fails to work and your mouth works on its own? That’s what happened here. I knocked, and when he answered, what came out was: “Good job you don’t have a sunroof.” Thankfully, he laughed. I bought him a sandwich and a hot drink.

I saw him a few times after that, and we often chatted. Sometimes he volunteered to look after my dog while I went into the shop. If I happened to have a seizure, he would sit with me while I came round. I usually kept a lookout for him in the area, and he’d call to me if he saw me. I felt we were forming the basics of a friendship, and as I got to know him as an individual, I noticed he never once asked me for money.

After a while, he disappeared. I asked around for him and, in the process, started talking to other homeless people—getting to know names and again seeing them as individuals. That’s when the idea for this site started. I know the frustration of feeling like there’s nothing you can do to help, and I also know that many people would like to help if they knew what to do.

About the Site

My name is Annette, and welcome to the Be a Friendly Face site. Please forgive the current sparseness—at the moment it’s a work in progress, but over time I hope it will develop into a useful resource and a page to inspire.

Be a Friendly Face is not a charity. I am one person acting as an individual, offering practical ways that individuals can help. I hope to build the site into a database of resources, along with positive stories from myself and (hopefully) others.