What made you decide to become a Volunteer Community Befriender with Volunteer Centre Hackney?
I first began volunteering in Australia, where I’m from, with an organisation that sent volunteers to elderly people who didn’t have many social interactions.
I wanted to continue this when I moved to the UK a couple of years ago. I was looking for a voluntary organisation locally and doing some research. That was when I found Volunteer Centre Hackney’s Community Befriender programme.
This is an initiative where I can give back once a week; it’s really well-organised and clear in its purpose. From my perspective, Volunteer Centre Hackney is one of the best organisations in Hackney, and I’m happy to be a part of it.
In 2024 you very kindly fundraised for Volunteer Centre Hackney, running the Ljubljana Marathon is Slovenia – what inspired you to do this?
Obviously to give back to Volunteer Centre Hackney, but the second reason was to raise awareness. I feel like a lot of people don’t know about the good work coming out of Volunteer Centre Hackney and the Community Befrienders programme, so I wanted to highlight this amazing cause. I’d say giving Volunteer Centre Hackney a platform is something that I’m very passionate about.
After posting about my fundraiser for the marathon, I had a lot of people reach out saying how much they loved the idea, with some even becoming Community Befrienders. By the end of my fundraiser, I’d raised over £1,100. My target was only £500, so to more than double that was incredible and I really appreciated everyone’s generosity.
How have the visits to your befriendee been, and how has the relationship progressed?
We’ve built up a real connection and I look forward to our catch-ups every week. It’s something where you’re able to build a relationship with someone that you may not have met otherwise. I have to say, it’s definitely been one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. You know that by spending time with them, you’re helping to make their week better as well.
There’s probably about a 40-year age gap between us, and we grew up on completely different sides of the world. However, we have a lot of shared experience in terms of life and relationships. Sharing these connections and experiences − even though we’ve come from different countries − is something that I’ve really enjoyed.
You can do so much with so little; it’s an hour or two out of your week, but you’re changing someone’s life.
Finally, how important is it that programmes like Community Befrienders reduce loneliness and isolation in Hackney?
It’s critical; it’s the most important thing. We’ve got a world where isolation and loneliness are becoming some of the biggest problems post-pandemic. We have to break that cycle and have more human interaction. It’s super important and probably one of the foremost social issues that we need to address as a society.
Thank you to David for sharing his time, his story and for raising vital funds for Volunteer Centre Hackney.
If David’s story has got you interested in becoming a Community Befriender, apply here.
Read a story from Sydney, another of our Community Befrienders, here.