Tech Buddy
I volunteer for the Beth Johnson Foundation on their ‘Healthy Generations’ project as a ‘tech-buddy’, and laterly as a digital friend. I also took part in Lockdown survival (2020) Zoom calls related to poetry.
As well as in-person support, I’ve written how-to documents for assisting people in making sense of replying to WhatsApp messages and how to remotely control someone else’s Windows 10 computer (intended for use by an elderly person’s relative).
Volunteering Acknowledgement
The BJF voluntary development manager created a lovely photo collage of numerous BJF volunteer events and experiences, and published it as a YouTube video.
Clay Stories
BJF invited group members, volunteers, staff and board members to attend a special tile making workshop run by the renowned ceramic artist, Philip Hardaker. Phil fired the tiles and produced a celebration wall plaque which is now displayed in the BJF offices in Penkhull, Stoke-on-Trent.
BJF created a clay stories document to complement the artwork, explaining the rationale of the clay stories project and including many individual’s stories behind their own contribution – mine is on page 20. 🙂
Together at Christmas
I was invited to represent Beth Johnson Foundation at the Royal Christmas carol concert hosted by Princess Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey in December 2022.
I snipped a little video of myself from ITV’s Christmas Eve broadcast of the event.
Poetry
The COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 resulted in the cessation of in-person meetings. BJF came up with the idea of using the Zoom remote connectivity platform for keeping people in touch. One of the initiatives was to have Zoom poetry sessions, where individuals were tasked with writing poems, which were then presented on the Zoom meetings. I’ve shared many of the poems I personally wrote, which can be viewed on the following page.