Interviewer

First of all. Could I ask your name please?

 

Lynn Sommerville

Yes, it’s Lynn Sommerville.

 

Interviewer

And could I ask which friends group we are talking about today?

 

Lynn Sommerville

The League of Friends Cafe.

 

Interviewer

Okay. At Ealing?

 

Lynn Sommerville

At Ealing. Yes.

 

Interviewer

And could I ask your age?

 

Lynn Sommerville

I was 69 last Monday.

 

Interviewer

Excellent. Well, thank you. It’s lovely to meet you. So you are relatively new to the league of friends. So what first inspired you to get involved?

 

Lynn Sommerville

Because I had to retire from my probation work, owing to an injury and then COVID, and I’m, I’m under the hospital still and I’ve always come in here every time I have appointments. Always come in here and have a roll or a cup of coffee. And I was just in here and I thought, well, I was coming in before, when I was working. And I just said to who, I didn’t know at the time, Gifti. “how would I go about volunteering?” She said “for who?” And I said, “well, for me”, and they gave me an application form, and I started about week later.

Interviewer

And what roles do they get you to do?

 

Lynn Sommerville

Mainly I’m on the delicatessen counter. I mean, in the morning you do a bit of prep, the salad stuff, and or you make up the ingredients to egg mayo, or egg and bacon, and obviously you learn how to do that. And then mainly it’s serving the customers, greeting them and, being polite. A lot of them are really, really lovely, you know? And you do appreciate it. There’s doctors, nurses, you know, people who push the trolleys. There’s also patients who have maybe slight disabilities and you, the way you deal with them, is an individual thing. So I mean, obviously being in probation, you learn how to do that. So, and it’s, it’s really nice. Some of them, you know, even if some of them haven’t got perfect English, you get to know them and you know what they want. And I think when you go, “Hello, Mary, Hello, John.”

 

Lynn Sommerville

They like it that, you know, their name, and usual or whatever. And you know, you get a smile and they say, “oh, that sandwich was so lovely.” And I’m glad you enjoyed it. And I always say “enjoy.” And it’s just really the people that I work with, I enjoy getting up and coming in. I mean, I’ve had a few friends saying, “well, you’re working for nothing.” And I go, “yes, because it gives me a purpose.” I get up, I get ready. Like I did for work. I come in the atmosphere is absolutely lovely. And I just enjoy it. I mean, you know, the first day I did it, I’ve got to say because the first day I left here, I didn’t think I was going to be able to walk to the bus stop. I was so unphysical, and now I’m fine. It’s really helped me. I am quite confident anyway, but not working for a couple of years make, takes your confidence away. And this is giving it back to me. And I enjoy it. I enjoy getting up. I enjoy getting ready, doing my hair, put my makeup on, and I enjoy working here.

 

Interviewer

And today you’ve launched onto the till as well.

 

Lynn Sommerville

Yes.

 

Interviewer

And how have you found that?

 

Lynn Sommerville

I enjoyed it, but I I’m very much, I, I sort of liked be in control of me and because it was new, I hate being a bit flustered, and I was a little bit. But I found it, you know, it’s, it’s easy, but it can throw you sometimes. So I I’ll be going back on it, and I’ll enjoy. I think I want to learn every aspect of everything so that I can put my hand to whatever, you know, I like to know what I’m doing. I, whatever I do, I like to know what I’m doing, but you only do that when you’re learning. And when people help you,

 

Interviewer

It sounds like you’ve found a lovely match for what you are looking for?

 

Lynn Sommerville

Absolutely.

Interviewer

And if one of your friends or someone said, you know, those, those sceptical ones that don’t understand why you’d want to work for nothing. If one of them asked you, what would you say to try and encourage them to come and get involved?

 

Lynn Sommerville

I’d just say, I mean, I’ve got friends obviously of my age. It’s funny really? Because it, it will come to you and like we’re all…God, we’re all, we’re all retired. We’re all this, we’re all that. And a couple of my friends always go for long walks every day. I didn’t, I couldn’t. And I just say that I really enjoy it. I enjoy getting up. It fills my day, I’ve learned, I’ve met new people. And like today, I’m learning new skills and I know how to make coronation chicken, and I, you know, lots of things and just, and it gets really busy sometimes. And, but it’s just, I, I like it busy actually. I like it busy.

 

Interviewer

Lovely. So is there anything else that you were thinking about that you’d like to tell me about today?

 

Lynn Sommerville

No, I, I just really like working here. I enjoy it. I mean, I have got to be honest with the situation, the way things are. I am sort of seeing if I can find a, a part-time paid job, because like everyone else, my bills are going up and my income isn’t going up. So, but that, this helps me.

 

Interviewer

Well, you’ve actually got some new things on your CV now haven’t you?

 

Lynn Sommerville

I have!

 

Interviewer

If you want to find a job, you can now say, “well, I can work a till, I could do till work?”

 

Lynn Sommerville

I wouldn’t actually put that down yet. Not the till…but then today the till did go wrong. In fact, both went wrong at one time, we had all these customers and Gifti is on one and she’s paid for some and then it came out on my till role, and it just went all…and I was glad that it wasn’t just me, that it was going wrong with.

 

Interviewer

But it, it is interesting because I, I think as you say, we, we live in uncertain times, realistically. Yes. And people aren’t sure about their finances and all sorts. No, we constant, you know, every day there’s something to hold your breath about on the news.

 

Lynn Sommerville

Oh God. I know. Going back to my friends, like a few of them, why are you working for nothing? I just say to them, you know, it gives you a new interest. You meet nice people, you know, it’s, it’s a lovely feeling coming in. I really enjoy it. It’s it’s made me, it’s given me a lease of life really.

 

Interviewer

Excellent. Well, I can see why they wanted you to be a volunteer

 

Lynn Sommerville

Oh. Can you?

 

Interviewer

Yes, absolutely. You’ve got a lovely energy and enthusiasm about you, and I’m sure that all the customers love you serving them. So thank you ever so much.