Volunteering for CSRF and Connecting Generations
From activity groups to befriender matching, the Civil Service Retirement Fellowship (CSRF) brings connection and community to retired civil servants. To tell you more about our befriending services, we spoke to Paddy, one of our long-time supporters.
What do you do for the civil service?
I’m an economist in the Start for Life Unit at the Department for Health and Social Care. I’ve been in the civil service for eight years now, jumping around different teams. Working on policy is always really interesting, particularly where I am at the moment.
Does it feel like you’re part of a civil service community?
It does. You end up having quite a few friends who are civil servants. There are so many levels and teams, and you keep in touch with people who move on to different departments. In my role, you bump into old friends at conferences or in and around Whitehall.
CSRF brings retired civil servants into this community too. I always like getting their newsletters. You start to imagine what it was like to be a civil servant for 30 or 40 years. It gives you a sense of what the fellowship means to those people. It’s so important for retired civil servants to be part of our network and connected to other civil servants today. The CSRF makes it all happen, and it’s a wonderful thing.
How did you hear about the CSRF?
Back in 2015, a bunch of us saw a poster in the office. We thought it would be a good thing to do. It was really easy to join, we just sent an email and were assigned people.
What do you do as a volunteer?
I’m a telephone befriender. I’ve called a few different people over the years. I was partnered with Ron for a while, who used to work in the tax office. He was a lovely chap and a great friend, but very sadly passed away. That was difficult, but now, I’m really happy to be talking to Sylvia. She worked in the civil service many years ago, in a role so far removed from what I do now – it’s easy to forget how many functions the civil service carries across the UK. You only talk about your jobs in the first call, from then on it’s just like you’re talking to a friend.
What do you value most about being a befriender?
I really love history. I’ve had so many great conversations talking about the wars and what it was like living through historic events like rationing. You’re speaking to someone who was actually there, so it’s always interesting.
Ron was blind and would get audiobooks from the library. Every week, he’d get through hours and hours of them so by our next call he’d have loads to talk about. He also liked to travel in his younger days. I’d tell him about where I’d been, and he was so knowledgeable. He’d know something about a place already before I’d tell him anything.
What’s it like to form a friendship with someone from a different generation?
All of my CSRF befriendees have been quite elderly, with Ron and Sylvia both in their 90s. I find them so interesting. You’re talking to someone you wouldn’t talk to in any other scenario, apart from your own grandparents.
With Ron, it was always a very two-way conversation, not just me listening to him. He was a very sympathetic ear. Sylvia is hilarious. She’s a fast-talker, so covers a lot of ground. Our calls are always very entertaining.
Why should civil servants support CSRF?
Clearly loneliness is a big issue. Now, we’re in a world with phones and Zoom, so there are so few barriers to be there for someone.
To me, the question isn’t why would you volunteer, but why wouldn’t you? You get so much out of it for yourself, and you’re really helping someone. Plus, it’s only a small-time commitment. If everyone did a little bit, it would make a big difference. Like talking to Ron, what did I really do? I called him up every now and then, we’d chat for half an hour. But I know he appreciated it. It’s so flexible and can slot into your life. It’s perfect if you work full time or have regular commitments – I like to do it when I’m on a walk.
I’m definitely going to tell my colleagues all about this little volunteering thing I’ve been doing for years, and how they can support the charity.