home - tendringpenpals

Making friendships and bringing people together

1500 Letters

10 Countries

12 UK Schools

2 International Schools

Welcome to Great British Pen Pals!

Friendship, connection, and kindness — delivered by post.

Great British Pen Pals is a modern, feel-good project that brings people together through the simple power of handwritten letters. Since 2020, we’ve been helping like-minded individuals form genuine friendships, share stories, and feel more connected — one letter at a time.

If you’re here, you probably love snail mail, enjoy the calm of putting pen to paper, and believe that a thoughtful letter can brighten someone’s entire week.



How it works

We make it easy, safe, and enjoyable for everyone to take part.

To keep all participants protected, our programme is supported by robust safeguarding procedures. Every letter is checked by our team before it is forwarded, and we use a PO Box system to ensure personal addresses and private contact details are never shared.



Something for everyone

We run five exciting Pen Pal projects, open to people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities — whether you’re writing for fun, looking to make new friends, or hoping to bring a little kindness into someone else’s life.

Across the website you’ll also find:
• Helpful guides and downloadable resources
• Writing prompts and letter ideas
• Tips for getting started and staying inspired



Ready to begin?

Join today and experience the joy of meaningful connection through the post.

If you have any questions at all, please Contact Us — we’ll be happy to help.

The words written in your letters are important. Thought, compassion and love have been put into every sentence. Letters are important, and your written words hold a great deal of sentiment. 

In a modern, digital world that's so focused on speed and technology, a letter that has been handwritten over a cup of tea, with slow and gentle consideration, has never been so powerful.

 

“There are no strangers here; Only friends you haven’t yet met.”

William Butler Yeats an Irish poet who won the Nobel prize for Literature in 1923.