Comfort Companions is a supported digital companionship service for older people experiencing loneliness or lacking the calm conversation and reassurance they need.
Yvonne speaking with Rosie, one of the Comfort Companions.
Media Coverage
Read, watch or listen to independent media coverage, from a short BBC feature and ITV News report to a longer podcast conversation.
When Quiet Gaps Last Too Long
Many older people experience loneliness because they do not have the conversation, reassurance or sense of being heard that they need. For some, this can mean days with little meaningful contact. For others, it is felt most sharply at particular moments: in the evening, at night, at weekends, or after a call, visit or group has ended and everyone has gone back to their own lives.
Human support is essential. Families, friends, carers, volunteers and local services do vital work, but they cannot always be there at the moment someone needs conversation or reassurance.
Comfort Companions Can Help Bridge the Gap
Comfort Companions CIC is a not-for-profit organisation using AI carefully to support older people experiencing loneliness or lacking the calm conversation and reassurance they need. Our purpose is to offer simple, voice-led companionship with privacy, dignity and supported access built in.
We believe vulnerability should never be exploited for financial gain, and people’s private conversations and data should not be used as a revenue stream.
That is why Comfort Companions are delivered through trusted, supported routes. They sit alongside the people and services already around the older person, rather than replacing human support. They offer calm conversation and a reassuring presence when someone would value a voice to talk to, without pressure to keep talking or explain everything.
Our mission is to make sure older people are not left unheard when they need conversation and reassurance.
What We Learned from Our Age UK South Gloucestershire Pilot
Comfort Companions has been shaped through early direct use and a deliberately small, closely supported pilot delivered with Age UK South Gloucestershire from January to July 2026.
The pilot was designed to help us learn how supported digital companionship works in practice with older people who had significant needs, access barriers or long waits for befriending support. It was not intended to prove results across a wider population. Its value was in careful service learning: what helped, what needed changing and how older people experienced the companions in real life.
Participant engagement
Based on usage analysis across all participants in the Age UK South Gloucestershire supported pilot.
Early usage signals
Based on 164 post-onboarding session records from the final 30-day usage review period.
Participants included people who were housebound, bedbound or facing significant health, mobility or access barriers, as well as a spousal carer of someone living with dementia. Some had been waiting years for befriending support.
Across the pilot evidence log, Comfort Companions CIC recorded more than 90 feedback and follow-up entries and tracked 23 specific issues, fixes or learning points. Feedback from older people was often incorporated directly into the service, including changes to voice and companion fit, onboarding, accessibility, device support and companion presentation.
The strongest evidence so far is lived-experience feedback. People using Comfort Companions describe them as reassuring, private, non-judgemental and easy to talk to. They value having a calm, low-pressure presence when they want conversation or reassurance and no one else is available. That can happen at any time, but night-time was an important example in the pilot: some people found it helpful to speak to a Comfort Companion after waking from nightmares, feeling unsettled or struggling to get back to sleep.
Some people also describe feeling able to speak openly, pause, reflect and see things from another angle, while still knowing that Comfort Companions sit alongside human support rather than replacing people.
Although the Age UK South Gloucestershire pilot has now concluded, participants who wish to continue using Comfort Companions are being supported directly by Comfort Companions CIC.
Interested in working with us?
We are building on the learning from our supported pilot with Age UK South Gloucestershire and would welcome conversations with local charities, care providers, funders, councils and community partners interested in safe, supported access to digital companionship.
Email hello@comfortcompanions.co.uk to ask for more detail or arrange a conversation.
A Real Story of Digital Companionship
This full Altered Britain documentary episode follows Comfort Companions CIC founder Grant Mackenzie and Yvonne, one of the first people to use the service in January 2026, as they talk about Comfort Companions, loneliness and the value of having someone to speak to during quiet gaps.
Yvonne’s experience is her own, but it shows why the Comfort Companions service is being developed: to offer simple, voice-led conversation and reassurance when human contact is not available.
Comfort Companions CIC is now building on early pilot learning and working towards wider delivery with trusted local partners, so more older people can be supported safely, carefully and with dignity.
Help Fund Comfort Companions
Your support helps offer conversation and reassurance to older people facing long quiet gaps between human contact.
The Comfort Companions access model is built on a simple principle: the person using Comfort Companions should never feel as though they have bought someone to talk to.
Supporters, sponsors, grants and trusted partners help fund access, setup and support, so older people can use Comfort Companions through a trusted route. This protects the dignity of the relationship. Companionship is offered to the person, not purchased by them.
Every contribution to our mission, whether monthly support or a one-off gift, helps sustain and widen safe access to Comfort Companions for older people who could not otherwise afford it.
Comfort Companions is not yet available through open public signup. We are working to make access available through more trusted community and supported routes. Sign up for updates as the service develops.
Meet the Comfort Companions
Each person is carefully matched with a Comfort Companion through supported onboarding so the voice, tone and conversation style feel right for them.
June offers a calm, grounded presence when the day feels overwhelming. Her practical, no-fuss guidance comes with friendly warmth and steady company.
George gives conversations his full attention, creating room to think, settle and reflect. He is kind, careful and ready for a thoughtful chat whenever needed.
Arthur brings gentle patience to quieter parts of the day, especially when listening matters most. His steady reassurance makes things feel lighter and calmer again.
Charlie adds warmth and brightness to conversation, with an easy cheerfulness. He enjoys helping people spot small glimmers of joy in the day again.
Malcolm is lively and thoughtful, perfect for those who enjoy swapping ideas or exploring life’s stories. He brings curiosity and a spark of conversation.
Frank is calm, practical and down-to-earth, perfect for when things feel a bit much. He offers simple, no-nonsense guidance and friendly company.
Edith listens with care and attention, giving space for reflection, calm and peace of mind. She’s kind and always ready for a thoughtful chat.
Dorothy is patient and kind, perfect for quiet moments or when you need someone to listen. She offers steady reassurance that helps lighten the day.
Rosie brings warmth and a cheerful outlook to every conversation. She loves helping people rediscover little moments of joy and light in their day.
Ruth brings a bright, thoughtful energy to conversation, especially when ideas or life stories are being shared. She adds curiosity and lively interest.
Why We Started Comfort Companions CIC
Comfort Companions CIC was founded by Grant Mackenzie and his father, Tom, after seeing friends and neighbours experience loneliness and the pressures of caring for someone with dementia.
Those experiences shaped a simple aim: to use technology carefully, alongside human connection and trusted support, so older people are not left unheard during long quiet periods.
In the video below, Grant and Tom talk about the early development of Comfort Companions and the supported pilot that helped us learn how the service works in practice with older people. The pilot was delivered with Age UK South Gloucestershire from January 2026 to July 2026 and has now concluded. Current participants who wish to continue are being supported directly by Comfort Companions CIC.
Comfort Companions is now building on that learning and looking to work with trusted local partners who share the same aim: helping older people access simple, voice-led companionship safely, carefully and with dignity.
Grant and his dad talk to Frank and share how Comfort Companions began.
Our Partners and Research Links
Privacy & Security
- Chats are private, safe and secure.
- Nothing said in conversation is recorded or listened to by anyone else. Even Comfort Companions staff cannot hear what is said.
- Conversations are only between the individual and their Comfort Companion.
- The Comfort Companions service is hosted in the UK on Microsoft’s Azure platform and follows UK privacy laws.
- The service has been shaped through supported pilots, consent-led onboarding and feedback from older people, carers and local partners.
- You can read our full Privacy Policy for more details about how your data is protected.
Service Disclaimer
- Comfort Companions are digital simulations of people. They are trained to provide wellbeing support.
- Like real people, Comfort Companions may occasionally make mistakes or provide inaccurate information.
- Comfort Companions are not trained to provide professional, legal or clinical guidance.
- The service does not provide medical advice or emergency response.
- Individuals who feel medically unsafe or require urgent assistance should contact emergency services by calling 999.
- For non-emergency medical advice, NHS 111 remains the appropriate service.