I started writing to Annie in late 2024 so I have been communicating with her now for about six months, I initially wanted to write to somebody as I wanted something that I could do which would be a really positive thing to do. I didn’t expect to make a huge difference to anybody’s life in a way you can when you see somebody in the flesh and have a relationship with them in person but being a penpal and writing to somebody once a week I just hoped that I could make a small difference in somebody’s life who may have been on their own and not seen or spoke to many people over a week.
I thought if I can just make someone feel like they have somebody who cares about them and is interested in their stories from the past and what they did during the previous week than that would be worth it. Since I began writing to Annie in Autumn 2024 it has been a delight every week to receive her emails despite the fact we have never met and not even knowing what she looks like I feel like she is someone I know close to me now because of the stories she has shared from her incredibly fascinating life or just what she has done in the past week.
I never dread writing the next email or think about stopping contact. I am delighted every week to hear from Annie and to send my reply back. I am aware what I am doing is not something which is a huge task all I am doing is writing an email on my phone every week I don’t even have to get up off my seat to do so like other amazing people do when they volunteer and go outside and actually make a difference to peoples lives which leaves a long lasting impact.
However all I hope to gain from this is the knowledge that one less person is feeling lonely this week because that is a horrible feeling that nobody should experience whatever age they are young or old every single person deserves to have somebody to talk to and feel that somebody cares about their wellbeing and what they have got to say whether it is a big life event or moment that is significant to them or just a small thing they did in the past week.
I know I want to feel that way that people actually do care about your life and the stories from it so if I can give that back to somebody then I’m happy to keep writing and keep making an impact whether it is big or small and be there for a fellow human being despite the fact we may never have met in person or that we come from a different area or have had different events in our lives and that is why I volunteer as a penpal for Annie.
This Blog was originally printed by the Harborough Mail and written by Dylan, one of our Community Champions Volunteers.
Other blogs can be found in our news pages.
