I moved to Warwick in the summer of 2021 ready to start a job at a new primary school in the area. I had moved out of my parents’ house in Hertfordshire. At the time, my parents had been foster carers for the past 6 or so years so I was used to a house full of children and constantly finding activities to keep them busy, especially in the holidays. When I moved, I wanted to look for something voluntary, preferably involving young children, but in a different capacity to my job as a teacher and a quick search online led me to The Friendship Project.
Not long after applying and completing all the checks, I was matched with my Younger Friend S, who to begin with was quite a shy and quiet 10 year old, whose main love was reading. So, it began that S and I started taking regular trips to the library, then the library cafe and then beyond.
Over the first two years of our friendship, the main trips were to the library, cinema or walks around Leamington. Once S and I were more familiar with each other, if the weather wasn’t great, we baked pancakes, scones and other sweet treats at my house.
We have also really enjoyed going to Dice Box Cafe in Leamington and playing through so many of the wide variety of board games they have to offer. It has been lovely to see how S’s interests in games have changed over the years, from playing simpler ‘roll the dice and move spaces across the board’ games to more complex strategy games now. One thing that hasn’t changed, and I don’t think ever will change, is her love of the Cookies ‘n’ Cream milkshake they make. They are delicious!
S loves being outdoors and whilst this can limit our options in winter, the rest of the year we often go for walks around different towns. She loves completing ‘Treasure Trails’ mystery walks where we have to search for clues in new places and we always stop off at cafes for a hot chocolate along the way. More recently, we have been to Quarry Park to play disc golf which has been really entertaining. S has discovered she is very good at throwing a frisbee so loves doing that as it is an activity she is always guaranteed to win!
We have made the most of some of the activities organised by The Friendship Project. S loves going to the Christmas party and bringing her younger sister along. We have also been to the Moreton Morrell Animal Unit, and joined a group of other Older and Younger friends planting trees at a Children’s Forest in Radford Semele.
It has been a wonderful 3 ½ years with S, and our friendship has grown really strong over all the outings. Having S as part of my wedding day this year in May is going to be really special, and I am so glad she is looking forward to it too! I have loved our trips out, and I have seen S grow so much in confidence, tackling the start of the tricky teenage years seemingly unphased. I look forward to all of the future outings to come!
