“It’s so important for me just being with other people,” commented Andrew Fletcher after attending the first TheFed@Bowdon Coffee-stop last Wednesday (24 July).
Coffee-stops socials have been a key element of The Fed’s volunteering service over the last decade and a very popular addition to its one-to-one volunteering service.
Marketing and Communications Manager, Joyce Khan, explained,
“There is a great deal of loneliness in our community, particularly amongst older people who have lost their life partner and many friends.
They can find it difficult to get out on their own because of a disability and may have no family living in Manchester or even in the country.
A sizeable portion of our volunteer activity involves befriending people individually – visiting or taking them out weekly or fortnightly.
But what people also miss very much is the opportunity to socialise in a group setting, and our coffee-stops offer just this. Last week was our first event at Bowdon shul and was a great success. We had wonderful feedback from the people who came along. They are very keen for us to come back!”
Attendee, Valerie Stratton remarked that it was “ A fine afternoon and nice to have a few people to talk to……. I think what you are doing is wonderful, please carry on!”
The Shul’s Rabbi Dovid Lewis said,
“We were delighted to host, what will hopefully be the first of many, “TheFed@Bowdon” Coffee-stops.
Events such as these are a vital and integral part of what it means to be a community-minded Shul.
At Bowdon we pride ourselves on being one large family, and the Coffee-stop gave us an opportunity to spend some quality time with the Bubbas and Zeidas of our extended family.
We look forward to welcoming The Fed, their incredible volunteers and of course the smiling faces of our friends again, in the very near future.”