Sharing stories in Old Street

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It can be easy to feel lacking in connections to your neighbours and to your community. Our Love Your Neighbour programme is here to change that. Piera and Sophie are one of our Love Your Neighbour matches, north Londoners from different generations hanging out and helping each other to get along in our rapidly changing city.

Piera and Sophie have been meeting up for two years now. Sophie pops round to see Piera every two weeks, and the friends spend the evening together. They have a chat over a cuppa and whatever delicious food that Piera has whipped up in anticipation of Sophie’s visit. Piera worked in the catering industry, and loves to host people and cook for them. For her it is such a pleasure to have Sophie come over, to have a visitor to prepare for, and someone to share her company.

“Sophie is so lovely, she’s such lovely company. I love her visiting.”

Meanwhile for Sophie it is a real treat to go to see Piera at the end of a busy day at work, to pause and to hear Piera’s stories of the area in which they both live. Piera came to London from Italy after World War Two, and has lived between Clerkenwell and Old Street ever since. Sophie finds her accounts of the Italian community and working in the restaurant industry fascinating.  

Both of them love to talk about history and books. Most recently Sophie leant Piera a book by John Cleese, and was keen to get her opinion on it: “Piera is so interested in the world, she is really intelligent.”

They also like to head out together for coffee. Recently this was to a café near to where Sophie lives.

“We were really close to mine, and as Piera had never been round before, I thought I’d invite her over to see my flat!”

“It was so nice to see where Sophie lives. She lives nearby to some of my relatives, which we hadn’t realised before!”

In preparation for Christmas Piera has bought Sophie a Panettone to share with her colleagues at work: “It’s not as good as the ones in Italy, but it’s the best you’ll find in London.”

Sophie is already planning how to treat Piera in the New Year: “She is so generous and kind hearted. I bought her a coffee the other day and so she got me the Panettone, even though the coffee was supposed to be a present! She always wants to give something in return.”

We look forward to hearing more about how Piera and Sophie spend time together soon.