Why I'm a Blether Buddy
We recently caught up with Jon, one of our Blether Buddies to find why they became a volunteer befriender.
Jon decided that he wanted to take his volunteering in a new direction, so he took up the role of Blether Buddy befriender. This initially started off with him making weekly phone calls, which gradually expanded to actually going out and visiting his befriendees around London.
Jon said “I wanted to make a difference to someone who was lonely, and having visited Russell for several years now, I know how much he appreciates me coming to see him.”
He connects with Russell through his regular visits, saying, “I see him in his flat, and we have a chat and catch up since our last meet up, and then we go outside for a walk, coffee in a local café, sometimes a bite to eat.”
We recently caught up with Jon, one of our Blether Buddies to find why they became a volunteer befriender.
Jon decided that he wanted to take his volunteering in a new direction, so he took up the role of Blether Buddy befriender. This initially started off with him making weekly phone calls, which gradually expanded to actually going out and visiting his befriendees around London.
Jon said “I wanted to make a difference to someone who was lonely, and having visited Russell for several years now, I know how much he appreciates me coming to see him.”
He connects with Russell through his regular visits, saying, “I see him in his flat, and we have a chat and catch up since our last meet up, and then we go outside for a walk, coffee in a local café, sometimes a bite to eat.”
Jon believes that befriendees can get a lot from this type of friendship
saying, “I think those who use the service benefit from regular contact with someone that they trust. It can relieve loneliness, and gives them someone they look forward to seeing regularly.”
On encouraging others to become a befriender, Jon says “I would definitely recommend this to someone who was considering it. It gives me a sense of great satisfaction, and I am sure it would for you too.”
We are looking for volunteers to join us, if you want to get involved and need more information please contact Louise on 0207 240 3718, or email on volunteering@scotscare.com