Befriending Week takes place 1-7 November this year and it's a chance to let befriendees know how important they are and thank volunteers and staff.

Telephone Befriending supports over 50 carers throughout Derbyshire each week who are lonely or isolated due to their caring role. To learn more and get inspired, read Peter's story below:

 

"I have recently been a befriender in DCA’s Befriending Service. I was asked by Rachel, our Telephone Befriending Project Worker, if I would consider befriending an older male carer. As I am an “older” male myself I thought I would give it a go.

I had never been a befriender before and naturally had some apprehension as to whether I would be any good at it. However, right from the first call, we got on so well. It was a privilege and pleasure to make that phone call once a week. It didn’t matter at all that we hadn’t and still haven’t met each other in person and that the different paths in life we have taken means that we would have been unlikely to come into contact with each other in normal circumstances. In a sense these factors made the experience even more interesting. There is something set into the idea and practice of befriending that made it work.

What is it about befriending that makes it useful to people? Well I think the answer to that, for me anyway, might be in the friend bit of the word. Thinking about this has got me pondering over what is meant by the word friend. I think that being a friend is about listening, giving a bit of time, not judging and being prepared to explore areas of conversation that might not be your usual ones. It is about taking an interest and showing concern where concern is due. It is a sort of “tuning in” I suppose. I wonder too if being a befriender is about being open and willing to learn.

What started out as something I had been asked to do which I thought might be outside my comfort zone became a relationship which I have thoroughly enjoyed and through which I have learned about myself as well as getting to know someone who needed a friend for a short while. In fact I would go as far as to say I have unexpectedly gained a friend as well as having been one.

What I should say in conclusion is that the Derbyshire Carers Association Befriending service is well supported by its coordinators but perhaps the other key factor is that the two people on the phone want to communicate with each other and through doing so both gain something important and useful."

 

If you’re interested in volunteering for Derbyshire Carers Association, more information can be found on our Telephone Befriending Service.

Similarly, you can also contact us directly by calling 01773 833 833 or emailing info@derbyshirecarers.co.uk

 

For more information of Befriending Week, click here