Volunteers' week: Anita

Please note: this post is 66 months old and The Cares Family is no longer operational. This post is shared for information only

If you had told me six months ago that I’d end up walking from London to Brighton one day, I’d have told you that you were mad. And yet, that’s exactly what I did on Saturday 25th May 2019. It was at once the toughest and most memorable experience I’ve ever had. An experience I might never have had unless I’d signed up to volunteer with North London Cares one chilly evening in January.

As I crossed the finish line and was handed my medal, my eyes immediately filled with tears. Partly because I hadn’t slept for two days. Partly because I’d been walking for 29 hours and my feet felt like they were on fire. But mostly, it was the knowledge that this epic 100 kilometre walk had raised over £1000 to keep tackling loneliness by bringing younger and older neighbours together.

I was inspired to volunteer when I helped out at a charity dinner last Christmas. During the dinner, I sat next to a 74 year old lady who had spent many years in the Navy. The stories she regaled me with were so entertaining that the hours flew by. I couldn’t help thinking it was a shame we’d probably never have met outside that setting. 

A few weeks later, a colleague told me about North London Cares. I did a bit of research before attending my induction and found their core aims really resonated with me. I could empathise with that sense of sometimes feeling a bit isolated in this huge city. In recent years many people I know and care for have left London, driven out by the enormous cost of living. Similarly, the frantic pace of life can mean that months go by before we see people who live nearby. Already I felt like I had something in common with the older neighbours and that the benefits of hanging out together would be mutual. One memorable moment was when North London Cares requested some warm items for a participant in the ‘Love Your Neighbour’ scheme. Seeing Joan in the woolly hat I had sent and reading that it had cheered her up when she was feeling low really moved me. In her own words ‘the fact that someone is there and thinking of me, even for a little while, makes such a difference.’

Without wishing to knock crochet or bingo (whatever floats your boat!), I have always felt strongly that getting older needn’t mean that fun should go out of the window. One thing that really appealed to me about volunteering with North London Cares was the fact that the social clubs were so varied and exciting. Since signing up, I have enjoyed discussing Oscar-winning documentaries, attended a poetry workshop, visited the Guardian’s offices and even mixed up a few cocktails! And all this I have done in the company of older people it’s an absolute pleasure to share my time with. In fact, every social club I have attended has involved lots of laughter.

80 kilometres into my walk, I contemplated giving up. The pain and exhaustion were getting to me and I had to spend some time in the medical tent recuperating. What persuaded me, eventually, to keep going was the kindness of those around me. It was the volunteer who carried my bag and gave me his walking stick. It was the paramedic who calmed me down and gave me some water. It was my friend’s father, who came to keep me company for the last gruelling 10 kilometres. It was my team mates cheering me on from the side-lines. All these things got me to the end of that walk. The point I want to make is that we can’t achieve much alone but with people around us who care we can do more than we thought possible. That is why I volunteer with North London Cares.