A Hamilton charity is highlighting the impact of its work ahead of this year’s Befriending Week – with one young adult who has been supported by the organisation telling potential volunteers: “The difference you can make to someone’s life is real.”
Covey Befriending provides mentoring and family support, with a range of one-to-one and group sessions across Lanarkshire, aiming to help improve health and wellbeing, connections and confidence.
One “graduate” who was supported by the charity during her teenage years has told how one memorable outing with a befriender sparked her passion in performing arts – leading to her earning a diploma in musical theatre and now entering her final year of a degree in drama.
Emma Naylor was supported by Covey between the ages of eight and 16, enjoying a range of outings with her volunteer supporter including the National Museum of Rural Life in East Kilbride and to the Chocolate Factory in Glasgow.
The charity says one particular outing was the moment that “changed the trajectory of her life”, with Emma saying: “My befriender did dance classes and asked me if I’d like to get involved one day as she thought it might help me with my confidence – it became a weekly thing where we danced all the time because I absolutely loved it.”
She has now gained an HND and will this year complete her Bachelor of Arts honours degree in drama at Edinburgh College, and also teaches musical theatre to children and young people. Emma added: “If it wasn’t for Covey, I think I’d be at a loss and wouldn’t know where I was going. They’ve given me direction, and a whole load of life skills.”
Emma lost her dad very suddenly when she was just 14, and said the charity not only provided vital support to her but extended this to her mum and three brothers.
She said: “My befriender just went above and beyond to help – she took me on an extra outing, came to support me at my dad’s funeral, never left my side and it really helped me. She basically became like part of my family and her support gave me someone else to talk to.
“I honestly don’t know of any other charities that do what Covey does. They’d come out and visit mum to make sure she was doing OK and she knew they were always at the end of the phone. My brother is autistic, so he went to the Angels group – Covey has literally helped my full family and supported us all in different ways.”
Emma added: “I think my early experiences in life have made me stronger today. When I lost my dad, I grew up really quickly. Going through that made me realise I have a resilience and I feel empowered by my experiences because I’m able to say I’ve come through it.
“Sometimes when something difficult happens, children go in on themselves and can go from being so confident to so quiet and distant. I feel like my experiences and the support I received from Covey have helped me understand how to help these children.”
The charity called Emma “truly inspiring” and say “without Covey’s support, Emma believes her life would be very different,” with Emma herself adding: “There are people like me out there who would be lost without Covey, so I would encourage anyone who is thinking about volunteering to go for it and give it a try.”
Based at Regent House in Hamilton, Covey was founded more than 30 years ago to support local young people and families, with the name standing for Community Volunteers Enabling You.
It has now expanded across South Lanarkshire and runs individual and group befriending for young people, the Angels group for those with additional support needs, mentoring and groups to support parents and carers.
The charity is supporting the national campaign run by Befriending Networks to celebrate befriending and its impact during the awareness week of November 1-7.
*Don’t miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
And did you know Lanarkshire Live had its own app? Download yours for free here.