Interviewer

So good morning. Could we start by me asking your name?

Julie

It’s Julie Palfrey

Interviewer

And Julie, personal question, how old are you?

Julie

I’m 66, got my bus pass this year.

Interviewer

Oh, have you?  Excellent. Always helpful. And which League of Friends are we talking about today?

Julie

Bridgnorth

Interviewer

So we were just saying on the way in what a lovely area Bridgnorth is. Have you always been a Bridgnorth lady?

Julie

No, I’ve only lived here four years.

Interviewer

Oh, so where did you come from?

Julie

Stourbridge.

Interviewer

And what made you move?

Julie

Retirement. And need to escape to the country. We bought a house that needed an awful lot of work doing on it. Moved here four years ago, spent the first 12 months working on the house. I live just about a mile, and a half outside of Bridgnorth Town Center, Irdington. And basically so I really needed to do something because there was no village shop, no pub. And I was feeling a little bit isolated.

 

 

Interviewer

Okay.

Julie

So that’s how the volunteering came in.

Interviewer

And had you volunteered in other places before or is it a whole new thing for you?

Julie

Yes, I’d done some voluntary work in Stourbridge and I also worked for Dudley Council as an adult education tutor,  teaching adults with special needs, and stroke victims, craft, and creative skills. So I sort of combined the two between working for Dudley Council as an hourly paid tutor,  and also doing some voluntary work in old people care homes.

Interviewer

Nice.

Julie

So yes, I just wanted to do something that would contribute towards the community, and help me settle in Bridgnorth

Interviewer

So was the hospital the only place you looked at volunteering opportunities or did you look at some others as well?

Julie

No, I looked on Facebook, and the hospital were advertising for coffee shop volunteers, and at the same time a post came up for St. Leonard’s Church in the town, and they were looking for stewards. So I thought, well, I’ll ring both, go along,  and see both,  and see if anybody wants me,  and if I want them. So I went to St. Leonard’s Church, met the head steward, had a tour around the church, talked about what the role involved. I’m not a religious person so I didn’t know whether it would work out, but it didn’t need to be. And at the end of the meeting she basically gave me the key to the church,  and said, we’ll see you next Tuesday. So that was the Church signed up. I was quite shocked that it happened so quickly.

Interviewer

Because some people listening might be thinking, what is this? What does you do as a steward? What’s that all about?

Julie

The church doesn’t open to the public for services. It hasn’t done since 1976, but it’s run by the Church’s Trust. They needed stewards desperately to open the church to the public. We get visitors from all over the world coming to visit the church. So it was just an opportunity to be able to open it up to the public so that people could come in,  and visit. Obviously I have learned about the church,  and some of its history. I don’t know it all, they haven’t been doing it that long, but so yes, so it was just a chance to do something in the town to let people come, and visit.

Interviewer

So it’s a bit like being a National Trust volunteer?

Julie

Something like it,  yes, that’s sort of thing. Similar sort of idea. Very similar type of thing. Yes. And I just do one, two and a half hour session, but I do also make crafts to sell on their stall to raise money to get the church roof done, and things like that. So it kind of snowballed.

Interviewer

So there you are, you’ve moved in, you’re new to the town, you haven’t even got a pub, and you’ve got a one, two and a half hour a week at the Church at the drop of a hat. So what happens at the hospital?

Julie

So then I came to the hospital the very same week to meet with Verina who runs the coffee shop, and she also gave me a shift. So then I’ve got two volunteering opportunities, which was fabulous really because it gave me the opportunity to integrate within Bridgnorth. I knew nobody, I didn’t know a soul. So it gave me the opportunity as well to give a little bit back, but also to help me settle into this town. And both of those have been an absolute godsend.

Interviewer

So  I’ve been down,  and I’ve seen your coffee shop. It’s a very nice coffee shop. It’s quite spacious.

Julie

It’s lovely. Yes.

Interviewer

So what do you do there?

Julie

I work in the coffee shop serving teas, and coffees. After I’d been here for about six months, Verina asked me if I would be interested in becoming a trustee. I didn’t know anything about being a trustee. I’d worked with lots of community groups, and I’d been Secretary of several, taking the minutes, and stuff. So I went along, and met with Sue and Paula at Sue’s house, and sort of wanted to find out what being a trustee was all about. I’d already signed up as a member of the League of Friends. And at that time the Treasurer had retired due to Ill health, and my husband, and I used to run a business, and he’s really good with computers, and numbers. So I basically said, “oh, Phil might be able to help you out on a temporary basis” because they had no Treasurer, and he still does.

Interviewer

They wanted you to be a trustee.. Did you both end up becoming trustees?

Julie

Yes we did.  So that’s really how I became a trustee. And once I’d become a trustee they decided to regenerate the Butterfly Cafe because during COVID it had closed.  It was run by two nurses at the hospital, within the hospital, and they basically asked me if I would be interested in running the Butterfly Cafe.

Interviewer

So for those who don’t know, what is a Butterfly Cafe?

Julie

The Butterfly Cafe is for people with dementia, and their carers. It started off we had a once a month session.  They would come along, people with dementia and their carers, which is generally their partner, or a member of their family. But it isn’t necessarily the case. And we put on an activity for them. Sometimes we’d play bingo, play your cards right. We have Chair Pilates, and Meg, and I who run the Butterfly Cafe plan a whole 12 months activities, and deliver that 12 months activity. Every year we have a garden party, which you missed, that was last months, which is absolutely lovely. And we take them out on trips to National Trusts, not too far away because of the mobility issues, and things, and then we run activities for them at least twice a year we do a craft activity, which I deliver. And yes we basically look after people by giving them an activity, getting them out into the community, taking them out of their home environment so they can benefit from socialising.

Interviewer

So this is once a month?

Julie

Well it started off as once a month, but then people were saying especially during the winter time, they feel quite isolated. So we set up Talking Tables. So the first Friday of the month is the Butterfly Cafe, which is an organised activity. And then the third Friday of the month is just a very low key social gathering where they can come along. There’s always a couple of volunteers from the Butterfly Cafe here, and they just chat. It’s quite beneficial actually because quite a few of them have health issues besides the dementia. We’ve got one couple, I won’t mention their names, obviously, he’s got dementia, and she’s now got bowel cancer. So I think she found it quite beneficial to come out, and be able to talk about her health issues in a low key environment with people who are just here to chat to them. We don’t get many people come to the Talking Tables, but we are there. Meg, and I, and/or another volunteer are always here. Just for those that just need a little bit of support, and to chat.

Interviewer

I think quite often people forget that when you’ve got a partner with dementia, you’ve also lost the person who you might share everything with,  your own concerns, and your own worries. What’s going on in your own life. And so I can see how that works.  So how many people roughly come to a Butterfly Cafe?

Julie

It varies. Planned monthly activity can be anything from 15 to 30.

Interviewer

Okay.

Julie

So, you know, it does vary, and we plan an activity, but it doesn’t matter how many people come, and the Talking Tables, we only usually have about six people come. You know. Three members and their carer or support worker. So it’s not huge. We have it in the coffee shop, and actually when there are 30 people in there, we do close the coffee shop for the Butterfly Café event because otherwise, you know, it would be a little bit snug. It’s snug anyway when there’s 30 of us. But yes, it’s great fun.

Interviewer

I suppose I’m interested in a couple of things around that. So when you get the half a dozen for Talking Tables, do you think they come to see each other or they specifically come because they want to see the volunteers who are there?

Julie

Yes. To see the volunteers.  It gets them out of the house. I mean we’ve had Talking Tables when there’s been snow on the ground, and Meg, and I have turned up, and looked at each other, and said, “we’re not going to get anybody today.” But they come.  Especially during the winter months, they’re stuck in the house. They go out, and do their shopping, but they do need to come out, and see other people. So it is really to get them out, it takes them out of the house, and it gives them a couple of hours with somebody else to talk to.

Interviewer

And also what interests me is, do they sort of create relationships between other people so they might then meet outside the Butterfly Cafe.

Julie

That’s right, they do. There’s quite a lot of dementia support in Bridgnorth. Quite a lot. So several of them go to several different groups. They only pay a pound to come to our group, and for that pound they get tea or coffee, and a nice piece of homemade cake, and any activity. And the reason we can do it for a pound is because we do have a reasonable amount of money in the pot. We actually get,  it melts my heart actually, when we get donations in specifically for the Butterfly Cafe, when you see Phil tomorrow, he will explain to you that somebody who’s perhaps passed away,  their parent may have attended the Butterfly Cafe many years ago. Or they just feel that we do such a lovely job that they donate specifically not to the League of Friends, but to the Butterfly Cafe at the League of Friends. And I find that very rewarding? I just think that’s wonderful.

Interviewer

They can tell the difference though, that their money is going to make can’t they?

Julie

Yes.I mean, Sue bless her, puts out posts of what the Butterfly Cafe do each month. You know, she puts photographs,  and things like that. And I think people who not necessarily have used the Butterfly Cafe can see the value people get from it. And I think that really helps us to, keep it going, and get the people coming in.

Interviewer

So I’ve picked up that you are quite a creative person, does craft,  and that sort of stuff. So what’s your favourite craft?

Julie

I don’t really have a favourite one. I like to do all sorts. At Christmas we make Christmas wreaths, so we all come in, with great big huge bags of foliage. I get all the oasis rings, and stuff like that. I love doing that because everybody goes out with something that they’re so super proud of. They came in with a load of twigs, and leaves, and fur cones, and they go out, and put it on their front door. I think that’s probably the most rewarding one.

Interviewer

It gives somebody something for the whole season that they may not have otherwise had doesn’t it?

Julie

Yes. And that’s lovely. So Christmas craft is absolutely fabulous because they all go out feeling proper proud, and we take lots of photographs, and everybody comes in with twigs and leaves, and goes out with some things very different,  that they’ve created themselves. So that’s really rewarding.

Interviewer

So also when I was downstairs, and I don’t know if it’s anything to do with you or not, but I noticed there’s a lot of hand knitted stuff, and you have a Knit and Natter group. What’s that?

Julie

We have a Knit and Natter group. They meet once a week on a Tuesday. I’m not involved with that. The only bit that I’m involved with is when we have events, I then come in, and help to organise what we are going to be making. At the church they have a three day craft event, and now the League of Friends have a stall up there. So we are now working collaboratively with the church. They give us our stall free because we are a charity. So I then get involved with a Knit and Natter, and say what we’re going to sell this year. And we organise a rota for people to be on the stall, and things like that. But I don’t actually attend the Knit and Natter only because I’ve got so many other things going on. I sit, and I do a lot of sewing. So the peg bags you saw hanging up? I knit little bumblebees. I do a bit of knitting, but most of my craft is sewing. I make aprons, peg bags, door stops, things like that. So I tend to sew more than knit.

Interviewer

So that’s lovely.

Julie

But it comes together in the end because you know, everything gets sold, and comes towards the League

Interviewer

Because I think people don’t necessarily understand what a coffee shop might do in a hospital. So we’ve got the Butterfly Cafe, we’ve got a Knit and Natter group. Are there any other groups that happen regularly here?

Julie

No, other than events that we put on, we put lots of events on in the coffee shop, but actual physical groups that come out of the League of Friends, and become part of the coffee shop, and that’s it really.

Interviewer

But it’s a lovely community place.

Julie

It’s fabulous. Absolutely fabulous. Yes.

Interviewer

You definitely stumbled across something when you were trying to find something to do. Didn’t you?  So when you knew I was coming to speak to you today, was there anything that you wanted to tell me you haven’t had the chance to say yet?

Julie

No, not really. No. I think really the only thing I want to say is I benefit as much from this as I know the people I help do. So it’s a double-edged sword for me because it’s helped me. I’ve made some lovely friends. My closest friend here is the lady that I do the coffee shop with. Jan.  She’s a widow lady. She moved to Bridgnorth a year before me. So we became very, very close friends. So I’ve gained lots of lovely friends, and I’m using my creative talents, and helping people, but they’re helping me as well.

Interviewer

Thank you. That’s lovely.