A £5,000 Community Grant from the Woodsmith Foundation is supporting ten visiting Wag Teams across Redcar and Cleveland, bringing canine companionship, comfort and friendship to older people experiencing loneliness.

Wag & Company is the only visiting dog charity in the North East that befriends older people living in their own homes as well as those in care homes, hospitals and hospices.

Through its network of trained volunteers and assessed friendship dogs, the charity matches older dog lovers with regular visitors from their local community, creating meaningful relationships that improve wellbeing and reduce isolation.

The people visited by Wag Teams have an average age of 83, with many living with long-term health conditions, reduced mobility or dementia, and many have often experienced the loss of family members, friends and beloved pets. For many people, visits from a volunteer and their dog are something they look forward to every week.

One of the many friendships supported by the programme is between Wag volunteers Carol and Dave Twiby, with their two friendship dogs, Basil and Poppy, and local resident Jean McWilliam.

Three years ago, Carol and Dave were matched with Jean and her husband Ian through Wag & Company. What started as regular visits soon became a genuine friendship. Together they enjoyed days out, shared stories and spent time with Jean and Ian and sometimes their daughter, Elspeth.

Basil and Poppy quickly became an important part of family life. Their visits brought conversation, laughter and comfort, and Carol and Dave soon became trusted friends.

When Ian sadly passed away in 2024, the friendship continued. Carol, Dave, Basil and Poppy remained a regular presence in Jean's life, providing friendship and support during a difficult period. Today, they continue to visit and enjoy spending time together, showing the lasting relationships that can develop through Wag & Company’s unique approach to befriending.

Today, Wag & Company has 34 Wag Teams living in Redcar and Cleveland, with 30 actively visiting older people in the borough. 17 Teams visit people living independently at home, while 13 support residents in care settings.

Reflecting on the charity's growth over the last decade, Founder and Executive Chair Diane Morton said:

"When we created Wag in 2016, we knew it would be important for older dog lovers in our region, who are often bereaved, sad and coping with many health challenges, to have a dog in their lives again. We also knew that dog owners in our communities would be pleased to help if they could do it safely with support. Here we are ten years on, and the scale of the difference Wag volunteers are making blows us away. When people tell us their Wag Team has changed their lives, or families tell us how a parent living with dementia benefits from the unique pleasure and memories a dog brings, it makes our hearts burst with pride.”

“With support from organisations such as the Woodsmith Foundation, we can continue making sure that older dog lovers across our region have special Wag friends when they need them most."

Rebecca Wagner, Grants and Programmes Manager at the Woodsmith Foundation said: “We are delighted to support organisations like Wag & Company through our grants programme. It’s inspiring to see how their work is creating connection, reducing isolation and making a real difference to older people across our communities, demonstrating the value of our funding.”