Support for moving house

Thank you again everyone. Fortunately she has purchased the curtains from the seller, so one less job to do. I’ve bought her a box of chocs, and I’m thinking I might buy a pot of tulips to stand outside (it’s a ground floor flat with patio doors). Only snag is that the seller has unhelpfully disappeared abroad on hols and hasn’t finalised all the paperwork. So we wait and see.

Make a note of takeaways near to her new home. The chances are, at the end of moving day, you'll both be hungry but have no energy for cooking or going out to eat.

The last time I moved I had a bag full of loo rolls, washing up liquid, soap and towels available as well as coffee and milk.

Curtains can be a nightmare to put up but that is another job she would appreciate. It is the little things and making sure there is bread, butter and marmalade for breakfast the following morning. You need a working kettle and toaster also..
Good luck.

Can I add, perhaps some nice "treats" with any snacks/food you take along. Something special like nice chocolate biscuits or chocolate (dietary considerations permitting). And maybe some flowers? (With a vase - for temporary loan!) Or even a small plant, if you know it would be welcome - easy to pop onto a windowsill? (Just little treats that say: "welcome home".)

Thank you, everyone, for your suggestions. Some good ideas there. Especially taking my vacuum cleaner. It's been postponed again (good job, as it's raining hard) but fingers crossed for next week.

I'm sure your friend will be glad of a friendly face to help her on the big day.
Get her bed sorted as a priority and make sure no boxes are left where she could fall over them.
Read her meters in both properties for her and keep them safe.
Explain the heating system if need be.
Take a picnic & hot flasks for later in the day and just remind her to take things slowly it would be good if you could stay over a day or two to get her settled in.

I would suggest your friend stayed with you overnight either side of the move.
This way beds can be stripped fridges emptied etc.
Far easier to wake from another bed and greet the packers.
Staying with you after the move will give her time to get reasonably straight.

When I moved at end of 2019, my eldest daughter and son were with me for the couple of days prior to the move. I had packers on the day before, and we left my daughter at the house dealing with them, my son took me out to a restaurant for a lovely meal.

They also took over all the vacuuming of the rooms as large furniture was moved out.

On arrival at my new flat (150 miles away), another daughter and her husband were there to sort me out. He got my Living room tv working, and ensured that my electric bed and riser/recliner chair were both working. Daughter, made up the bed, turned on heating etc. before I arrived, and ensured that I knew what the different keys were for, etfc. Then we all had a takeaway fish & chips meal that evening, before they left.

When I moved on my own, my good friend came round with her vacuum cleaner to do the last minute leaning of drawers and behind heavy furniture. I was moving over 100 miles away and all my stuff was going into storage while I looked for a new house so that night I stayed in a hotel near my friend and we went out for a lovely meal.

Help her to get her bed set up and made ready for her to collapse into.
A few sandwiches and a flask of tea or coffee at lunchtime would be appreciated.

I agree with coastpath, and if you can rustle up a shared meal before you leave her, maybe that would be good too.

Some snacks and a flask of tea/coffee would be really welcome in my experience.

Having moved a lot my top tip is to make the first jobs in the new house the making of the bed with fresh sheets and putting up curtains in the bedroom. That way, whatever else happens during the day, when you are exhausted you can just fall into a nice clean bed.

She probably just wants a friend there to support her in the chaos - not necessarily practical help. When we leave our lovely home soon , I shall need a shoulder to cry on. Perhaps someone to make a cup of tea and go with her to the new flat