"New friends, new conversations": Sophie's first four months of volunteering

Please note: this post is 94 months old and The Cares Family is no longer operational. This post is shared for information only

It has been six months since I first decided to join South London Cares. Like many people my age living in London, life had a way of quickly becoming a treadmill of work, drinks, dinners with friends, home, sleep, and starting all over again. And in this never-ending cycle the weeks seemed to pass in a flash, and all of a sudden we were heading towards 2018 (seriously, when did that happen?) and I was concerned I'd barely recall anything purposeful that had happened all year. 

So, in a bid to add something a little more meaningful to my weekly routine – and after a chance meeting with someone from North London Cares who I was interviewing for a feature at work – I decided to give South London Cares a go. 

In the last few months I've become a regular at the Desert Island Discs sessions in Walworth. They work with my schedule, I love the atmosphere – sitting and listening to music with people – and the way the conversation flows.

For anyone who hasn’t been to a social club before, they aren’t at all intimidating or anything to be worried about. It is just a group of people getting to know each other, and having conversations about everything from the weather to politics (and lots of things in between).

I didn’t feel too nervous before my first session but if you suspect you might feel anxious (or just exhausted from spending all day at work), don’t worry, it's all about enjoying the company of the people you're with. You'll always have the common ground of the activity: at something like Desert Island Discs the music you are listening to together is a great leveller. The most important thing is just to come along with the right attitude: smile and be willing to talk to anyone! 

I’ve also taken part in one of the daytime activities – the walking tour of Brixton – which was really enjoyable and allowed me to meet a whole new group of friendly faces.  

There is no doubt that South London Cares' social clubs are giving me so much – new friends, new conversations and feeling part of the community around me.