It started with someone we love.

When Nan lost her partner, she didn’t stop being herself. She still drove, still cooked, still did the crossword before lunch.

She was capable, independent and perfectly able to get on with life. But the house had gone quiet. The person she’d shared every small moment with was gone, and the days got longer.

We called. We visited as often as we could. But we couldn’t be there every day, and she knew it. That was the hardest part. Nobody had done anything wrong, and still there was a space in her week that phone calls couldn’t fill.

It got us thinking. If Nan felt like this, how many others in Guernsey did too?

People sitting at home on a Tuesday afternoon, perhaps only a few doors from someone who would love a walk and a chat. Both of them waiting for the phone to ring. Neither knowing the other was there.

On an island this size, nobody should live that close to good company and still feel alone.

Alongside introduces people aged 55 and over to someone nearby who’d enjoy the company too.

Not a care worker. Not a volunteer. Not a date. Just a friendly local for a walk and a chat, and maybe, in time, a friendship.

We pick every introduction by hand. Everyone confirms who they are. And the app is simple enough that a son, daughter or friend can sit down and help set it up.

Our aim is simple: fewer quiet afternoons, and more people with someone who asks how their week went.