Circle of Friends

14/03/2026

We are so grateful to Lidia for sharing her experience as one of the wonderful students from Invicta Grammar School who attend our Tea, Tech & Tête-à-Tête sessions.

13/03/2026

We are so very happy for our friends at Invicta Court Care Home who celebrated with a triple win at the Care UK star awards last night.

Exception Housekeeping - fantastic team work
Lifestyle Colleague of the year - well done Amy!
Maintenance person of the year - congratulations Brian!

Invicta Court have been supportive of our friendship service for over six years and host our monthly Friendship Cafe.

We always receive the best welcome and we could not be happier for them today as they celebrate their awards.

12/03/2026

Never assume.
Everyone has a story worth hearing.

‘I danced on a table in a Greek restaurant.'

'I set fire to a dorm kitchen (and never admitted it...until now)'

'I wrote a book, it was published and is still available on Amazon.'

'I met the Wombles and got Uncle Bulgaria’s autograph.'

'I used to be a baker, making hundreds of strawberry tarts for Wimbledon Tennis fortnight.'

'I met a friend in the High Street, we chatted for about 15 minutes and as I walked away, I realised it was not the friend I thought it was, I didn’t even know him!'

These are just a few of the things we discovered about our 'lovely oldies' yesterday at the at Care UK Invicta Court Care Home when we asked them to share something about themselves. Something that perhaps not many people know, something from years ago or even just last week. The stories were hilarious, surprising, and truly wonderful all at the same time.

It’s so easy to make assumptions about people, especially older people, but how wrong we can be, if only we take time to talk and listen to each other.

It reminded me that it really does because everyone has a story worth hearing.

04/03/2026

Our most recent took us to Temper Temper, a chocolate workshop just outside Tonbridge. It was a wonderful day of learning, tasting and enjoying something a little different together. There were smiles all round and plenty of chocolate to take home.
Stones in the community

26/02/2026

Recipe for Happiness with Circle of Friends

Ingredients
• A very large pinch of sunshine
• One Arriva UK Bus double decker bus
• The one and only Christian Obray
• Lovely Julie Palmer to add the finesse
• 23 wonderful, excited, lovely oldies
• Copious amounts of chatting
• A vast amount of beautiful scenery
• Five clickity walking sticks
• One motorised scooter

Secret ingredient … a generous helping of chocolate magic!

Method
Blend gently together, taking care not to curdle.
Add chocolate generously.
Stir with laughter, shared stories and a sprinkle of mischief.
Make sure volume is tuned on for the full happiness experience.

Result
23 very excited faces, a few sticky fingers, and beautiful memories made with friends.



Stones in the community

19/02/2026

We are pleased to share that the new Circle of Friends CIC website is now live.

The website offers a clear insight into who we are and the work we do to support older people in Maidstone through friendship, connection, and community.

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02/02/2026

Another amazing, fun and educational afternoon with the wonderful students from Invicta Grammar School

If you want to that warm fuzzy feeling in your tummy, just sit back and listen to the sound of friendship between 17 and 77 years olds!

Thank you so very much to the students and staff 🙏

09/01/2026

We are so happy to be able to share this news with you all now.

A chance meeting turned into a lifeline for Maidstone’s older community! 🌟
Circle of Friends CIC and Stones in the Community have joined forces to keep vital friendship services alive for those who need them most.
Read the full story of how an awards night sparked this powerful partnership ➡️
https://stonesinthecommunity.org/2026/01/09/circle-of-friends-and-stones-in-the-community-join-forces-to-combat-loneliness/

23/12/2025

Thank you to all the students and staff who welcomed us in the way Invicta Grammar school always does!
We look forward to continuing our Tea & Tech project with you all in the New Tear!

19/11/2025

We are so very proud to share that Circle of Friends CIC has been awarded the Maidstone High Street Heroes Judges’ Award. With all four judges choosing us as their winner and with more than 400 worthy nominations, we feel extremely humbled.
Congratulations to all the nominees and winners of all the categories.
Thank you to
Gullands Solicitors Metrobank and Maidstone Business Improvement District for organising the event.

20/10/2025

We are so very happy for our youngest ‘Lovely Oldie’ aka Little Linda. The absolutely amazing team at Invicta Court Care Home have excelled! A huge thank you to every single person who were part of the ‘Fixer Upper’ project. The video and pictures are testament to everyone’s hard work and determination to make this something so special for someone who gives so much to others.