Supporter Profile
Supporter
Profile
Husband and wife, Michael and Cerin Richardson, first became involved with Waverley Care in 1996 when Michael was the Director of Bravado Mikado, our first fully staged ‘Come & Sing’. They have supported us in numerous ways including very recently making two major financial donations to support our work.
Q: Why did you become involved in Waverley Care?
A: Michael – Waverley Care’s Patron, Christopher Bell is a good friend of ours and he introduced me to Waverley Care.
Q: What do you remember about HIV when you first became involved in Waverley Care?
A: Michael – I studied medicine in Edinburgh when HIV was first kicking off and the “don’t die of ignorance campaign” was running. I was being taught at the time
that HIV was an instantly fatal illness. In 1996 I was aware that Edinburgh had a huge HIV population and of the huge prejudice that was also around.
Q: Why do you support Waverley Care?
A: Cerin – Myths are still alive, such as being able to contract the
M – Yes, prejudice is unacceptable! Not only should you not be prejudice but you should stand up and speak out against it, otherwise you are implicitly allowing it and that is wrong. By supporting Waverley Care we are helping to stand up against that prejudice.
Q: Is there one Waverley Care service that stands out to you?
A: C –I really believe in the Buddy Service. It provides the extra support that people living with HIV need. They may not have disclosed their HIV status to family or friends and so need someone to talk to and gain support from.
Q: What motivates you to stay involved with Waverley Care?
A: M – We see the impact of the work the charity is doing. They are a small organisation having a big impact.
C – I’m a volunteer buddy so that keeps me involved but we’ve also got to know the people at Waverley Care. They stick around because of the great work going on. Everyone stops to say “hi” when you walk in the door.
Q: Why would you encourage other people to support Waverley Care?
A: C – Involvement with Waverley Care has helped me grow as a person – I’ve met wonderful people and learnt about sections of the community that I’ve not been involved with before.
M – Waverley Care provides concentrated local support that you can see the benefit of and so is a great charity to get involved with, both through volunteering and financially. In the words of Bob Geldof ‘Get your money out’. I know for Waverley Care that every penny counts!
Cerin is part of a fantastic team of volunteer buddies, all of whom give freely of their time to support people who are living with HIV or Hepatitis C. It plays a key role in reducing social isolation and helping people to feel better about themselves.
Could you give up a few hours each week to befriend someone; to chat to them on the phone, meet them for a coffee or go along to a medical appointment with them?
Full training and ongoing support is given. For further information, please contact Kelly McKnight or Annette Wilson in Edinburgh (0131 441 6989) or Mariegold Akomode in Glasgow (0141 333 9393).
