Our story
Created from real conversations
Elder Connect didn't come from a boardroom. It came from sitting in people's homes and listening.
For several years I worked as a mobile foot care professional across Surrey, visiting clients in their own homes. The work was never only about feet. I sat with people and heard about their families, their careers and the lives they had lived.
And I noticed something: for some of them, that hour was one of the few real conversations they had all week.
UK-wide
open to every part of the country
Free
no fees, no adverts, ever
More than a foot care appointment
Everyone had a story to tell. But it was hard to see how isolated some people had become — a partner lost, a move away from friends, or a social circle that had quietly grown smaller over the years.
I was there to provide a service. Often I was also providing something just as valuable: company.
The idea behind Elder Connect
As I got to know different clients, I kept having the same thought:
"These two people would really enjoy talking to each other."
Sometimes shared interests, sometimes shared experiences, sometimes personalities that simply complemented one another. Where both people were happy with it, I'd introduce them and pass on numbers.
It was a very simple idea — and it worked. So I asked: what if this could happen at a much larger scale, matched not just on age or postcode but on personality, interests and experiences?
Our mission
Getting older shouldn't mean your social world has to get smaller.
Elder Connect exists to reduce social isolation among senior adults by creating opportunities for genuine human connection — not forced friendships or endless online profiles. Just people who may have something in common, or who simply enjoy each other's company.
Trust matters
When you're inviting someone into your life, you deserve to know who is behind the platform and why it exists.
This came from listening to people in their living rooms — not from market research. It's built around people, with technology used only to make the introductions easier.
Hugo's Home Foot Care
Mobile foot care in clients' own homes, across Surrey.
Home Help Hub
Checked home-service providers for senior adults.
From help at home to help connecting
Elder Connect is part of a wider idea that began with Home Help Hub. Finding a trustworthy foot care professional, hairdresser, cleaner or gardener can be surprisingly hard — so I built a place where providers are checked before being listed, including valid insurance and identification or company documents.
Home Help Hub helps with the practical side of living independently. Elder Connect helps with the human side.
Because having someone to talk to matters. Someone to share an interest with, swap stories with, or simply have a conversation with can make a genuine difference to a life.
A personal thank you
My hope is that Elder Connect becomes a trusted place where senior adults find new friendships and conversations they'd never otherwise have had.
Because sometimes, one introduction is all it takes to make someone's world feel a little less lonely.
Thank you for being here.
Hugo
Elder Connect