Dartford Giving

By Kate Hargreaves

If making regular visits to a vulnerable child as an Independent Visitor (as I wrote about last month) is too much of a time commitment for you right now, then this month I have a more relaxed way that you can support a child in need – through writing to a sick child through the Post Pals charity.

If you’re unsure of what to send or say, there are some suggestions of conversation topics as well as tips on things to avoid at www.postpals. co.uk/help/guide-to-writing-a-post/. You can also write to the siblings of a sick child through the Post Pals charity, as their lives are often affected by what their brother or sister is going through too. Note that while you may get a reply from your Post Pal, you shouldn’t expect one.

“This sounds great, how do I get involved?”

Post Pal “What is it?” This is a zerocommitment role that can take just five minutes of your time to bring a smile to a sick child’s face. Essentially, you just find a child on the Post Pals website and send them some post to brighten their day.

“Would I enjoy it?”

There are so many ways to approach this that I’m sure anyone of any age or background could enjoy it. You could write a letter about how your football team is getting on or share a joke or funny poem, or you could get more creative and draw a picture of your pet or make a card or even a friendship bracelet… Preparing something to send to a Post Pal could be a great family activity or a great way to keep your hands and mind busy while watching Friends for the hundredth time, and can be enjoyed by anyone.

“What would I get out of it?” Being a Post Pal doesn’t require a lot of effort, and only costs the price of a postage stamp, but it will definitely get those feel-good endorphins flowing through your body, knowing how happy the recipient of your post will be.

“How much time do I need for it?”

This doesn’t require any ongoing commitment, and it’s entirely up to you what you send to your Post Pal – sending a funny postcard could take two minutes or knitting a woolly hat could take two days. If you love the sound of this role and do want a regular commitment, you can become an Assigned Writer, by emailing info@postpals.co.uk, or alternatively you can repeatedly write to the same child without having a formal commitment in place. Go to www.postpals.co.uk/find-pals/ to look at the children’s profiles, where you can learn about their interests and key information such as whether they can read. Then all you need to do is prepare your post, send it off, and sit back knowing that you’ve done your bit to make the world a brighter place for a sick child.

If you have any questions about Post Pals or other roles I’ve written about, feel free to email kate@dartfordliving.com.

As always, happy volunteering!

“Anything else I need to know?”