It’s safe to say that we’ve all had a rough time of it over the last 18 months or so. Three lockdowns and new variants of Covid-19 to contend with, coupled with being cooped up at home, getting on each other’s last nerve… it’s no wonder we are seeing a rise in requests for our services and support.
But we have the tools and volunteers to help local families get through these challenging times and this is how one of our families and their matched volunteer got on…
Home-Start offered a lifeline for me as a new mum
Having a Home-Start volunteer to talk to every week for the last year has been a much-needed lifeline.
As a new mum with a physical disability, life was pretty challenging, but adding a global pandemic into that situation made it difficult to cope. In normal times, we’d have had the support of family and friends, but the stay at home order took that away from us.
Once a week, I was able to rely on the support from our Home-Start volunteer. While it’s not been the same as the usual offering of hands-on help with holding the baby, having someone to talk to regularly made a real difference to my mental health and got me through some tough times. We’ve shared hours of conversation about parenting, the challenges of motherhood and what we’ve been watching on Netflix!
My volunteer became my friend and I’m incredibly grateful to Home-Start for providing vital support at a challenging time.
Sharing my skills and experience with a new mum
Working with this family through the pandemic, by having weekly zoom calls for a year, really helped me as a person, as it gave me a sense of purpose.
I was able to bond with the family on a different level, often just talking about the week. And although it wasn’t hands-on, I was able to sing and read to the baby and watch him develop over the year. A real pleasure. I also saw Mum grow too in her confidence as she got used to having a baby around the house.
I looked forward to the calls as much as she did – we had many similar interests, some laughs, and some more serious moments. But through it all we became friends.
Working for Home-Start as a Volunteer is very rewarding and the training is amazing.
Are you in need of support?
We offer free, confidential, non-judgemental support to local families with children aged 9 and under. The areas we cover are Royston, Buntingford and the surrounding villages, and some villages of South Cambridgeshire.
If you feel that you could do with some extra support, whether that is around managing your children’s behaviour, yours or your child’s mental health, feelings of isolation (perhaps you have just moved to the area?), managing the household budget, as well as a host of other issues… then please get in touch with us today.
