Our Visit to Jim

On a wet Wednesday afternoon, Andy and I called out to Carntyne to chat to someone we’ve been meaning to visit with for a while, Jim. In general, I love these visits. As someone from abroad, I love hearing the history of Glasgow and the central belt in general. In the car ride to these places, Andy is usually pointing out old facets of Glasgow’s once-upon-a-time which is great because if these stories are not told, they’ll be lost to time. 

We pull up to a corner shop close by.

“Let me just stop in here for a second,” said Andy.

“What for?” says I.

“Biscuits. Can’t show up empty-handed,” he replies. 

And he’s right, you wouldn’t do that when you’re calling over for a social visit to any of your mate’s houses. How is this any different? So, when we get to Jim’s house, biscuits* are at the ready. Some Digestives and Viscounts. This small offering produced the first of many of Jim’s infectious smiles. 

We were brought into his living room, and it was gorgeous. Plush carpet, beautiful wallpaper, lovely couches, and armchairs, etc. We asked Jim if it was alright for us to come in, have a sit down, a cup of tea, and a chat; to which he said “aye!”

We caught him and the team at a good time when his Personal Development Workers were having their hand-off for crossing over their shifts. It was great to catch up with David and Trevor, hearing what it was like to work for Jim and C-Change. Trevor’s been here for 18 years! That’s quite the stint. 

We heard more about Jim and his story. Unfortunately, some of his history has been left to brief notes scribbled down in old medical books. Which is a pity, the regard that some organisations in the past held for people we work for is sad indeed. However, the stories we did have, we heard, and we listened. Because, as mentioned before, if these stories are not told again and again, they’ll be lost to time. This is the part of my job I feel most dutiful towards. 

Overall, we had a brilliant time visiting Jim. Many photographs were taken, jokes told, smiles had, and stories shared. We learned more about him, which better informs us here at StoryWorks on how we can support Jim to live his good life. At C-Change, it is important that we match-recruit for the people we work for, ensuring that we pair Jim up with the people he wants around him. This is one of the many ways we make sure that we are supporting people to live their good life. 

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*I believe Andy MAY have received a tip-off** that Jim was a biscuit man. In particular, chocolate biscuits receive top points.

**I made an enquiry as to where Andy heard this tip, but he refused to reveal his sources.