00:10Before I started the role as assistant coordinator with Befriending I was a
00:14Befriender myself and what I tried to do is spend an hour to an hour and a half a
00:18week with the gentleman I was matched with having coffee and a chat in the
00:21house getting to know each other we then started going out for coffee once a week
00:25just go down to a local cafe coffee cake which was good for for me because I
00:29was learning about another person it's very good for him as well because his
00:32life had become quite restricted so to get out and about in a new environment
00:36was really helpful yeah I noticed his confidence really grow what would make a
00:40good Befriender well I think it's just somebody that enjoys seeing people likes
00:45to having a chat people that are referred to Befriending are from all walks of
00:49life one of our volunteers says our matches are like fingerprints they're
00:52all individual so everybody would make a wonderful volunteer so please come along
00:56have a chat with us yeah and we can tell you a little bit more about it it's
01:00nothing onerous it's just somebody that enjoys seeing other people having a
01:04conversation you might learn new skills you might pick up old skills you know so
01:08really it's something that you're going to benefit from yourself as well as the
01:11person that you're visiting people get nervous about about the initial
01:14conversations and all that but it really becomes very easy and very simple and
01:18also we go along initially to make sure the conversation flows so your first
01:22time you meet your new person you're not on your own we're there and what we do is
01:26we keep the conversation flowing just while you get to know each other because
01:29the point is everyone's got to feel comfortable and happy and when we we're
01:33sure that you're comfortable and you're happy and then we'll withdraw but we're
01:37always at the end of the phone and we always catch up very regularly to make
01:40sure it's a supported friendship I think of a gentleman who came to us and
01:44the interesting thing about this man was he was in his early 90s and he was a
01:47bit skeptic about whether or not Befriending could offer anything to him at the end of our time
01:51there we're there for a half an hour 45 minutes with him he was prepared to give
01:54it a go so we introduced him to one of our volunteers and after a couple of
01:58visits his daughter actually happened to phone him whilst they were having a
02:02meeting together right in the car going for a drive this previously isolated and
02:06secluded man when he answered the phone his daughter obviously said to him
02:09where are you and he said I'm out with my friend and that's just beautiful
02:13isn't it because that's the difference Befriending made and a lot of our
02:16Befriendees they're hidden away you know they aren't able to go out so nobody
02:21really knows about them and with work and people's lives being busy whereas
02:24before you might have seen your neighbour now people are tucked away so it's
02:27really important that we can reach these people yes last year is our busiest year
02:31we've ever had so if you think you can spare a bit of time to come and volunteer
02:35with us and we say weekly but even regularly you know sometimes it might not
02:39be every week you can manage that's okay
02:41we're not saying that once you have volunteered with us that's it you're going
02:44to be seeing someone every week continuously if you can only come to us for
02:48three months or six months that that's fine if you think you've only got three
02:52months to spend but then find it so rewarding you want to stay that's
02:56absolutely fine yeah it's enjoyable I was a volunteer elsewhere as a volunteer
02:59and we find because we talked about it before but speaking for myself I've got as
03:04much from every meeting yeah as the other person did it's fantastic thing to do
03:08if you've any concerns or you're not sure what I would say is just get in touch
03:11yeah just have come and have a chat with us and and you're not committed to
03:14anything at all just come along because sometimes from the outside looking in
03:18you think oh my goodness this might looks very serious
03:20it isn't it's a really worthwhile thing and it's easy it always fits in around a
03:24volunteer's life and the befriendee's life so it's something that just works
03:28and as I mentioned earlier all matches are individual so whatever skills you bring
03:31and there will be skills we will have somebody that would enjoy
03:34absolutely
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