For Jordan O’Sullivan, volunteering has meant not just an opportunity to expand his writing, editing and social media skills, but also to learn about inspirational volunteers and change his philosophy around work. Jordan, a 21-year-old student studying music at Brunell University is volunteering as the social media coordinator at Attend. Jordan said he came to Attend because he can see the difference the organisation makes in people’s lives. “I wanted to do a placement where I was helping myself but also trying to help others,” Jordan said. 

His work has included updating the Attend social media, writing blog posts and news flashes for the charity’s different projects, and most recently working on the Friends Voices project.  

“I didn’t know anything about the Leagues of Friends myself before I started working on the project. I didn’t know how imperative their role is within the hospital and how much help just a small group of people can be and how much stress they can take away from staff and patients,” Jordan said.  

Since beginning his work on the project, Jordan said he has learned a lot about the Leagues of Friends and many of their members. For the Friends Voices project, Jordan has edited interviews with League of Friends members and communicated with the Leagues and hospitals to write about their histories. Jordan said he found learning the history of the Friends groups eye opening because some have existed for so many years. Particularly, he was surprised that Bart’s Guild, the League of Friends at the Royal Hospital of St. Bartholomew, has existed since 1911, which he remarked was before the Titanic sank.  

“It just feels like they’re quietly working in the background just trying to make people’s lives easier and they’ve been doing this for over a century, so it’s just absolutely insane,” Jordan said.  

Jordan said helping to create the Friends Voices website has been a lovely and rewarding experience. Through sharing the Friends stories on social media, he enjoys seeing the immediate reaction and impact the stories are having on others as well as on himself.  

One of the best parts of working on the Friends Voices project for Jordan has been listening to the stories Friends have had to share. He said their work has inspired him and their stories have been extremely moving. For him, one that stands out most is the story of Gifty Coleman, who volunteers at the Friends café at Ealing Hospital. Coleman shared in her interview that after closing time one day, an elderly woman came by the café and told her that she was very poor and had no money for food or drink. Coleman responded by serving the woman, and the next day the woman brought her a gift in thanks.  

“It was just really heartwarming, and there’s so many stories like this and I feel like the Friends cafés, for example, have soul and a heart within them. You’re not going to get a Starbucks or a Costa Coffee opening their doors past closing time just to feed somebody,” Jordan said.  

Jordan said another story that was impactful to him was learning about how the Friends of University College London Hospital supported patients who were unable to see their families during the Coronavirus pandemic, especially during extended stays.  

Because of their age and the work that they do, Jordan said he feels that it is past time the Leagues of Friends received more recognition. He said he finds it inspiring that the Friends, many of whom are ex patients or staff members or are retired, continue to volunteer their time to support the hospitals. Jordan said he hopes to emulate the way they work in his own life. 

“For me, I think their work ethic is what stands so prominent to me … They get up tirelessly every day, they don’t complain about it, and I’d love to have the work ethic I suppose they have,” Jordan said.