Volunteering has brought me great joy and connection
In September, I made the choice to start volunteering, thinking it might fill a bit of time. I signed up to Sense's virtual buddying scheme, which pairs disabled people with volunteers for weekly catchups.
I was a little nervous to meet my buddy, but I can now say that they're one of the most fabulous humans I know. Every Saturday evening, we meet on a video call for an hour. We play games, tell stories, create wild and wonderful things, dance and do 90s pop karaoke (badly, in my case). We laugh a lot. That single hour has become the highlight of my week. It's a little pocket of joy and connection that brings colour to my routine.
I can't recommend volunteering enough to anyone my age feeling lonely and looking to make new friends. Much more than just filling time on the weekend, my weekly calls have helped me reimagine what connection can look like and reminded me that small, consistent moments of joy add up and matter.Paula McInallyWolverhampton
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