Meet our volunteers!

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You’ve met some of our older neighbours who shared their stories last week; now, in our series which celebrates those who make South London Cares possible, volunteers Georgina, Robbie and Lorna share their story.

Our network of 125 volunteers have spent over 1,150 of their spare hours with their older neighbours in South London. They visit them at home, they bake cakes and solve tech problems at our social clubs – and through this show that they care. We couldn’t be more grateful: they make meaningful connections with older neighbours looking for new social interaction.

Georgina – Love Your Neighbour match with Beryl in Dulwich

I found out about South London Cares through a work event, just as it was being established in early 2014. I signed up to volunteer as soon as it started and have been involved for ten months now.

My grandparents aren’t around any more and I don’t otherwise meet or get to know older neighbours where I live. Through the Love Your Neighbour scheme, I've gained a friendship with an older person. Every fortnight I visit Beryl (a fascinating 88-year-old lady) and her two ‘carpet-on-legs’ dogs in Dulwich. We drink tea, sit on the sofa and chat. I run my own business and it's a great way to take time out.

I love it when Beryl tells stories about her life – what she sees as the golden days – and when she shares her opinion of the world today. It’s great fun and a reminder for me to take the time to hang out with people from different generations, live in the moment and enjoy my life as it is right now; especially when Beryl tells me how fast time seems to fly for her!

It really is a brilliant thing to do – it's fun! I've benefitted from hearing the perspective of an older person on life, the world and how everything has changed.

Robbie – Brixton Social Club

Having staved off the "real world” of work for five years after leaving school, I finally succumbed in September 2013 and soon found myself joining many others on the daily commute to the City.

Needless to say, with many friends and endless free weekends, on one level young professional life in London was a lot of fun. However, no sooner had I entered into my London experience, I began to consider whether it was all that it had been cracked up to be. The weekly seesaw between social and office life often left me with a sense that I had not done anything meaningful with my time. I also realised that I was only interacting with a very limited portion of society, namely, 20-30 year olds.

South London Cares provides me with a unique opportunity on a weekly basis to spend time with and learn from incredibly engaging and entertaining people, who I would not normally encounter in my day-to-day life. I especially enjoy attending the cooking social clubs which have not only given me some much needed recipes to add to my culinary repertoire, but have also been a huge amount of fun.

I’m really looking forward to continuing to participate in this fantastic community (and learning a few more recipes!).

Lorna – Elephant and Castle Social Club

I moved to London in 2011. Is there a better city to live in? The buzzing 24-hour atmosphere and vibrant culture means you’re never short of things to do. Coupled with a busy career, I had little time to stop and think about anything else.

But after a while the long-days and late nights started to feel less enjoyable and I wanted to feel more involved in my community; particularly after finally managing to settle in one place for more than 12 months.

I had heard about South London Cares through my work and contacted Hannah and Tess to find out more. The fact that I could volunteer as little as twice a month meant that I could pledge my support without worrying that work would inevitably get in the way of contributing more. But once I went to my first session, I had such a good time that I wanted to readdress my work life balance to do more.

There’s little else that gives you the same sense of achievement than somebody telling you that your spending a few hours with them on a Saturday is the highlight of their week. There’s nothing more inspiring than hearing about all the things a person can achieve in their lifetime.

Volunteering has made me feel part of our diverse community. I find it really relaxing to take myself out of the hustle and bustle of the city and give my time to someone else. I think it’s already had a huge impact on my own happiness.

I’d recommend it to any one – if you give a little, you get a lot more back.