A pensioner has spoken of the loneliness of spending "years" on her own "doing nothing and seeing no one". But Pat Whiteside has now met a kind friend, and the pair meet up every week.
Pat's partner Jenny Smith died in 2009 after they had been together for 14 years. A devastated Pat said she was left with "no social connections at all" and turned to alcohol for comfort.
After suffering a stroke and developing anxiety and depression, Pat was referred to Sheffield-based charity b:friend. The organisation matches lonely, isolated people with kind-hearted volunteers who give up their time to visit people like Pat.
