Lydia first saw the advert about becoming a Cyril Flint Befriender over three years ago. When she first met Maureen, who had just come out of hospital, she was very down and depressed. Maureen was so isolated, she had almost forgotten how to speak, was hunched and closed, and told Lydia that she was basically just waiting to die. Lydia continued to visit Maureen every week and since then, she has seen her blossom and "come alive again".
She soon realised that Maureen used to be a seamstress, so they spend a lot of time sewing and making things together. Lydia has learnt a lot from Maureen, and Maureen had the chance to remember an old skill that had been such an important part of her life. From there, Maureen asked Lydia if she could accompany her on a trip to her allotment to get out of the house, and before long she was talking enthusiastically about putting her work clothes on and helping out.
The other allotment holders now say hello every time Maureen visits and have started to give her bits of vegetables from their own plots. One of the unexpected outcomes of this is that Maureen has started cooking her own meals again instead of relying on ready meals and has even started pickling some onions and beetroot ready for Christmas.
Lydia soon recognised that Maureen had got her "zest for life back and would give anything a go" so the next stop was Simply Cycling where Maureen had a great time going round the track on one of the specially adapted bikes, something that she hadn't done for years.
It's the small changes over time that Lydia has noticed
which really made such a difference and are so often over looked. Maureen lost her husband around eight years ago after over 30 years of marriage and had never celebrated Christmas or put a Christmas tree up since then. However, she started putting up the tree again a couple of years ago. You cannot measure the value of someone putting their Christmas tree back up after such a long time.
Even something as simple as giving Maureen some spring bulbs has had a big impact. Lydia observed how proud Maureen was to see them grow and develop, and how much she enjoyed having something to nurture and look after. Lydia lost her own grandparents many years ago and her final comment was that she was surprised how quickly they became friends and that visiting Maureen was now just part of her normal routine and an important part of her life, "Everyone can spare an hour".
https://www.cyrilflint.org/