Tell us about your journey with Community Befrienders.
I’ve been part of the Community Befrienders programme for a few months now. I think I was referred through a Hackney Council bill that had a Volunteer Centre Hackney flyer in it – and that’s how I discovered it originally.
I would say the process was much more straight-forward than I anticipated. And everyone who works at Community Befrienders is incredibly experienced and professional and they really put you at ease.
It’s been really nice to meet other volunteers in the programme and hear about their experience, but my initial feeling was obviously excitement to get to know somebody in my neighbourhood who was experiencing social isolation. I wanted to find ways that I could help her.
How has your relationship with your befriendee progressed?
My relationship with my befriendee has progressed quite a bit over the last few months. We started with coffees, went into walks, and now we play some games as well, so it’s quite varied in terms of the activities that we do.
But I think the main thing is we try to make it special and not part of mundane daily life. If we’re able to go somewhere new together, we’ll do that. But I think, ultimately, I know how much it means to this person to have this time with somebody given their life circumstances and what they’ve been through in their day-to-day life; so I certainly enjoy the time knowing that it’s impactful for them.
We have a lot in common as well – I think the Community Befrienders service is great at assessing what your interests and passions are, and matching these with the service user if they can. For instance, my befriendee and I both really love cats. We both have a cat, and we share that in common.
My befriendee has a learning disability; I’ve worked at a learning disability charity before so I had some familiarity; so I think there’s always that effort there to make sure there’s an existing connection when they’re establishing a match for you.
What’s your favourite thing about the Community Befrienders service?
I think my favourite thing about the service would be that it’s quite flexible; you get your match and then you have all of your support from Community Befrienders if you want it. Obviously, there’s a level of communication to make sure everything is going well, and they’ll help you if anything needs a discussion.
But I think, ultimately, you’re able to build that relationship with the service user without too much intervention; so it feels quite genuine; I see my befriendee once a week for an hour or an hour and a half. Sometimes I have to move the days and I have direct contact with the befriendee. We can create our own schedule. Consistency is important but with a busy work schedule it can be difficult but there is that flexibility which maybe other volunteer programmes don’t offer.
What would you say to someone who is thinking about becoming a Community Befriender?
I would say my motivations were really around being able to connect with someone who maybe wouldn’t come up in my life otherwise. Someone of a different generation, a different background. Someone that I can learn a lot from naturally.
Who knows if I’ll need a Community Befriender when I’m older… I think there’s almost a duty of care that we have to people; it’s a great way to pay it forward, and get to know someone who is really interesting and won’t be like anyone else in your circle; It’s a really positive experience and one that I find incredibly fulfilling.
Our Community Befrienders team matches volunteers with lonely or isolated adults in Hackney based on their interests, passions, languages spoken, and schedule. Once you’ve been matched with someone, you could watch television together, listen to music, go for walks, or even play pool.
It’s a chance for you to brighten up a vulnerable person’s day, and make them feel valued. Find out more about the Community Befrienders programme here. Click here for Befriending Week resources.