Robert and Linda

What do you think of the support you
receive?

Linda: We’ve been with MST for a few years. We've had John as our support worker for about two years, I think.
Robert: We've been with John for about that – about a year and two months. Before that we were with Sam. When she left to have a baby, John came along.
L: He’s ever so helpful.
R: He’s nice. He comes around every week and helps us with our problems. We’ve got debt problems. So many people got onto us about paying this and paying that, but we can’t pay them all at once.
L: Before we got into a lot of problems. People writing for this and that, and we couldn’t do it, could we duckie (to Robert)? But John’s been brilliant.
R: Yeah, he’s helped us a lot he has. He’s got a legal advisor to help us sort the debt. But not just with finances, any problem, he tries to help us. MST has been very good, like.
L: We hope to take our vows again. At one point we did part, with all the problems and that, but then we got back together again. We talked it over and here we are.
R: And we’re so happy. We’d like to go away on holiday, but we don’t get much money between us with me being disabled. Maybe, when we’ve sorted all the debt stuff.
L: We sit down and talk about problems, it’s best to talk them over. Like we do with John.

How did you meet?

R: I’ve lived in Nottingham all my time.
L: Yep, but we’ve got around Nottingham a bit, north and south. We met in the Windmill pub on Alfreton Road, well we’d see each other there. 30 odd years we’ve been married
R: 38 years we’ve been married.
L: Oooo, that long?!
R: Yup, 1971.
L: I knew him for a long, long time and I wanted to go out with him. And he wanted to go out with me. But it was me who asked him out!
R: We used to go to the same school, Players secondary school (now Brocklewood school). We knew each other from then.
L: And we used to play darts in the pub where we’d see each other.
R: I like gardening and fishing…
L: and playing darts. I like playing darts too, and I always beat him!
R: She always beats me.
L: He used to be very good when we were young, but he doesn't play so much now. But when [our] son comes round, I can’t get a look in.
R: We got two 30 year old children, one son and one daughter. And five grandchildren. We sometimes see them every week, depending on how well I’m feeling.

Robert and Linda receive floating support at their home in Nottingham.

By giving up some of their time to help us build on the good work we do, volunteers make a real difference to people’s lives.

Michael’s blog

Michael is a service user who decided to volunteer. He writes about his experiences in the forum and will answer your questions. Visit Michael’s blog