National Time to talk Day

Today is national Time to Talk Day – a campaign which is run by Mind to enable conversations about mental health.

At Exeter City Community Trust we have a number of initiatives which support mental health, including our befriending project, which is part of our Creating Connections programme.

During the past couple of years, everybody, regardless of background or circumstance has experienced their own individual battles. Those living on their own, without family or friends nearby, have faced even greater challenges, which is where Creating Connections comes in. 

Creating Connections, was established in the summer of 2020, and has provided people living on their own with a valuable connection to others. We caught up with Marion who uses the service and Paul, a volunteer, to talk about their experiences. 

A lifelong sports fan, Marion, who has lived in Exeter for 42 years and has been a long-term supporter of Exeter City Football Club, found out about the befriending service from a friend, and decided that it would be a great opportunity to chat to somebody new, and perhaps also to visit the Grecian Centre at St James Park!

Marion said: “I said that I didn’t mind what sort of person I spoke to, but I did ask for somebody who wasn’t going to talk to me about knitting!”

She and Paul speak for about half an hour every week, and both get a lot out of the experience. 

Paul, who retired as an anaesthetist ten years ago, decided to volunteer for the scheme during the pandemic, recognising that he was ready to do ‘something’ but wasn’t quite sure what, and like so many people, felt somewhat vulnerable as covid rates increased. A neighbour was involved with other CCT programmes and suggested that he volunteer for the befriending scheme, which he was able to do by telephone, at home. 

Paul said: “It’s excellent. I really don’t feel like it’s work at all. Marion and I have a great chat and it’s always very interesting.”

Whilst Marion and Paul say that they don’t always agree on everything that they discuss, they do say that they both love to debate, and no subject is off limits. 

Paul said: “We often talk about politics, international affairs and life experiences, and whilst we agree on most subjects, it doesn’t matter when we don’t because we both really enjoy a healthy debate. The half an hour goes by very quickly and I look forward to my weekly chats with Marion.”

Despite both of them enjoying their weekly telephone calls, Marion doesn’t think that she’ll ever meet Paul in person.

She said: “I hear his voice a lot but have no idea what he looks like. I don’t think we’ll ever meet in person because there is just no need to. It doesn’t matter to me as I enjoy our phone chats so much.”

Find out more about the befriending scheme by visiting our website below.