Laughter is the Best Medicine
Liz has a great sense of humour! I’m often struck while talking to volunteers that they have a huge sense of fun; we laugh a lot! Liz is no exception. One of the reasons she volunteers is because she enjoys helping bring a smile to people’s faces. This isn’t to say that she doesn’t take her volunteering seriously, far from it, but rather she recognises the great benefits of having a laugh. Indeed, there is a growing body of scientific research which points to the many health benefits, physical and emotional, of laughter.
Liz, in her fifties, and her husband have lived in Shenley over twenty years. Her three children are grown up. She enjoys swimming, walking, dog walking, and aqua aerobics. She likes to do unusual things, like alpaca walking! She is also a volunteer usher at the Park Theatre in Finsbury Park. She enjoys theatre.
She volunteers with Communities 1st at the weekly Creative Community Café at the Phillimore Community Centre in Radlett. This is one of the five cafés run by Communities 1st. Members of the local community come together for refreshments, to have a chat, take part in a craft activity, and find company in a safe environment. Activities will vary from centre to centre, depending on what the group likes to do.
I Wanted to Help with the Community Transport Scheme
While Liz been volunteering with Communities 1st for 7-8 years, she has only recently become involved in the Creative Community Café at Phillimore Community Centre. She joined originally as a volunteer driver. She explained, “My parents lived in Somerset, and I often found myself dashing down to help them with a lift to an appointment. They had no transport service like we have. I wanted to help them, but I became frustrated.” She continued, “When I had more free time, I looked to help with transport here in Hertfordshire because I understood how vital the service can be. Remembering my parents’ needs, it was a way in which I could put back something into my own community."
In addition to driving, Liz has also helped with shopping, befriending, and at the Vaccination Centres during COVID. “I would do whatever was needed,” she explained. “It could be stewarding, helping with form filling, answering questions and so on. At the beginning, we seemed to spend a lot of time wiping chairs!” she laughed.
Liz has also done some micro-volunteering, like lending several hours to the Communities 1st health awareness events.
Creative Community Café at Phillimore Community Centre
The Creative Community Café at Phillimore Community Centre meets every Tuesday from 12 to 4pm. It is supported by Gail, a Communities 1st worker, and Liz, as a volunteer. Liz explained that 8-10 older people attend, mostly women in their eighties. They live in the nearby flats.
“Sometimes the women arrive, and they may have had a bad week. Or they may have a problem which needs sorting, such as a letter from the NHS, or they may be lonely. They may not have seen anyone in the last week. But they find the activities enjoyable, and their spirits are lifted. We do laugh a lot.”
The activities include tea, coffee and biscuits, knitting, seated exercises led by Gail, quizzes, and chat. People will talk about their week. And then, there is the bingo!
Sixty-Two Tickety Boo… Sixty-Six Clickety Click…
Everyone enjoys the bingo sessions. Liz told me that “I take in a very old clanking bingo set, and Gail and I will call out the numbers.” She laughed, “We know the rhyming numbers, but we’re ‘helped’ by some of the ladies who have some interesting calls!” I pressed Liz to tell me more, but she declined.
The ladies will also reminisce, and Liz loves to hear their stories. “I remember one lady, Sadie*, talking about her life during the war. Her dad used to breed beagles and she would help him. Today, there is a road in Radlett - Beagle Close - and that is where the kennels once were. Sadie brought in some photos of herself as a baby, surrounded by beagle puppies. She was so pleased that the others enjoyed them so much. It was lovely to see the smiles on their faces.”
The Importance of Community Cafés
Liz thinks Community Cafés have a key role in bringing people together. “They reduce loneliness and provide support. Importantly, they are fun, and people feel better,” she argued. “The Creative Community Cafés can link up with a number of other Communities 1st services – such as transport, outings, and shopping - so that vulnerable people have a circle of support around them.” She concluded, “Communities 1st is a big part of their lives, and I am pleased to be part of that too.”
Like the users of Liz’s Creative Community Café, I ended our call with a smile on my face. Very much a case of “Forty-one! Time for fun!”
*Not her real name.
Written by: Chris Cloke, Communities 1st Volunteer