Mari & Arran’s Story – Volunteers’ Week 2025

Arran: Hi, I’m Arran and I’m 10.

Mari: Hi, I’m Mari. I’m 53, and this is Mabel.

Arran: Having a befriender is fun because they take you on adventures that people and kids enjoy.

Mari: I normally meet Arran once a week on a Saturday afternoon, and we’ve been on loads of brilliant day trips.

Arran: We went to Edinburgh Zoo and it was fun. We saw different kinds of animals. We saw penguins, red pandas, giraffes, and sloths.

Mari: Being a befriender is really good fun because you get to build a friendship with a young person and you get to give them opportunities to do all the things that they would like to do.

Arran: Well, we went to the wrestling. It was funny and it was exciting. The city chambers were fancy and extraordinary.

Mari: Arran and I met exactly a year ago, and I think we’ve been on 43 day trips

Arran: At the beach, we saw little crabs. Uh, some of them were hiding in the shell and one of them said hello.

In Mugdock Park Castle, there were mole holes, where moles used to live, and it was fun watching Mabel go all around and run everywhere.

Thank you to Volunteer Glasgow for introducing me to my befriender.

Mari: Thank you very much to Volunteer Glasgow for giving me the opportunity to become a befriender to Arran.

Arran: Cut!