Here, our older volunteer Kenneth tells us about dialling into InCommon’s intergenerational phone calls during the pandemic.
“I loved talking to the children, hearing about their ambitions and about what inspires them. We talked about kindness – and how it’s better to give than to take.”
“During the pandemic, I listened to the radio a lot, as I can’t watch the television. In 1991 I was registered blind; I’ve got very little vision. I do try my best to read the newspaper and keep up with what’s going on. I must be the only blind man to buy five newspapers a day!
I haven’t joined any other activities offered through my housing association before. They’ve asked me to take part in some groups, but I’ve declined because I worry that my blindness will slow the groups down.
To be honest, I didn’t expect the InCommon programme to be as good as it was. I loved talking to the children, hearing about their ambitions and about what inspires them. We talked about kindness - and how it’s better to give than to take. And about how to budget! It’s strange that people don’t talk about that these days - how to budget. It’s one of the most important things, you know.
Something that really made my day was when I got this envelope in the post from InCommon and it was really bulky. When I opened it, I discovered it was a talking card! I’ve never seen or heard anything like that before! I could hear the voice of the little girl who made the card when I opened it. She was telling me to look after myself. I thought that was lovely. I’ve got that card by my bedside and I open it up occasionally.
You can ask me to take part as many times as you like! I’ll keep joining the calls. I’ve told my friends all about the programme. I’ve loved it. “