This week, we’re praising the touching words of Sharron Wilkinson, 52, from Huddersfield. She said…
Peeling open the envelope, I unfolded the letter inside.
Scrawled in elegant handwriting was a letter detailing how the writer’s day had been.
There was even a watercolour painting inside.
Iwonder what this person looks like, Ipondered.
I’d always found that from a stranger’s handwriting, you could instantly tell so much about their personality.
But after reading letters from volunteer writers across the UK, Iknew they had one trait in common –kindness.
Watching the news in March 2020, when the pandemic hit, I saw reports that care homes weren’t accepting visitors.
Even care homes local to me were closing their doors, too.
While I didn’t have any relatives living in acare home, I was heartbroken that so many elderly people were unable to see their friends and family.
What will happen to them? Alot of them couldn’t even use technology to keep in touch.
Only, an idea hit me. Throughout my life, I’d stayed in touch with my friends through writing letters.
Letter writing is the perfect way to keep in touch, I realised.
At the time, Iworked fulltime as amanager at alocal charity, so Ibranched out to the local community to kickstart my new project.
Within afew days, Iwas receiving messages from locals keen to pen letters to those isolated in care homes.
And so, Give… AFew Words was born in March 2020.
Liaising with local care homes, Imatched the volunteers with their pen pals based on their interests. As the letters came in, I ch
