The value of these types of bonds is something 42-year-old Nicky Shallcross has recently discovered.

“I have an amazing friendship with Sheila, an 84-year-old old lady,” she explains. “I volunteer as a 1:1 befriender at a charity called Vintage Vibes that tackles loneliness in Edinburgh. Sheila and I were paired up, we see each other weekly and now have a genuine friendship. I value her opinion as an older woman, and I love that we can talk about anything and everything.”

They’re mutually beneficial

And the advantages of an age-gap friendship aren’t simply one-sided. Fifty-two-year-old business owner Claire Waite Brown is lucky enough to share a friendship with both a 72-year-old as well as a thirty-something mum.

“Because our outlooks on life are different, we can learn so much from each other,” she says. “The younger friend has a fascinating job working in technology and I love to learn from her the things that are possible in the digital world – in fact, it was she who showed me that I could make a podcast in the first place, something I had never considered but, three years later, is now a major part of my life.”

Older friends can offer us the benefit of wisdom, experience and mentorship, while our younger mates bring enthusiasm, energy and a fresh perspective – so it’s win-win.

Do you have an age-gap friendship? Here’s why they’re so good for us