NLC helped me feel closer to London - and to China

Please note: this post is 143 months old and The Cares Family is no longer operational. This post is shared for information only

NLC recruits volunteers from all over north London and all over the world to participate in their community. And sometimes their interactions offer more connection than they might think. Here, Chinese student and new NLC participant Xi Zhang gives us a window onto why she wanted to get involved, and the similarities to her experiences volunteering thousands of miles away...

or the past two weeks, I've been to the Peel Centre on Friday mornings. I chat happily with my new friends and we have lunch together. Then we enjoy a fantastic movie. So far I've seen Made in Dagenham and Mamma Mia.

The sessions remind me of my past experience as a volunteer, in Beijing. In that way, they provide a connection to my home thousands of miles away, but they also give me a link to Londoners that I might otherwise miss. That's something I really value.

Before coming to London as a student last year, I volunteered at Yingzhi Rehabilitation Centre in Beijing for two years. Most of the members there are in their 80s and 90s. Some are in decent health, but most can only move with the help of wheelchairs. These senior citizens are mostly from comfortable families, but their relatives are, sadly, too busy or too far away to give them the care they need.

I still remember the first time I visited the Yingzhi Centre as a volunteer. I was part of a group performing Tibetan dance. The elderly members loved watching our colourful dresses and amateurish dancing. They were smiling happily when we made some funny mistakes. And after the performance, each of the volunteers spent time with the members: having a chat, offering massages, reading for them, or just bonding.

In China, as here in the UK, older people rely deeply on the care their children can provide. But we know that sometimes circumstances make it impossible for families to continue to care for their loved ones as they'd wish to. Through organisations like North London Cares we can help make people feel a little less lonely, and a little more connected.

This is why I love coming to North London Cares activities. I love spending time with my new friends (and the other volunteers). I love hearing them call me darling and tell me their lifetime's stories. All the people I've met so far are wise, and have great passion for living.

Now I really look forward to seeing them every Friday morning - not just to give, but to learn too.

Xi Zhang