You’ll Never Walk Alone: From Charity Leader to Volunteer: Adopt A Grandparent’s Head of Operations Finds Friendship Through Liverpool FC

To truly understand the impact of Adopt a Grandparent, David Annand, our Head of Operations and Fundraising, recently stepped beyond his professional role and became a volunteer himself.

David was matched with Michael, an 85-year-old care home resident who has lived at The Spinney Nursing Home in Skelmersdale for the past eight years, just 15 miles from Liverpool.

When Michael joined the programme in 2025, he shared three passions that mattered most to him: comedy, music, and Liverpool Football Club. It proved to be an instant and deeply meaningful connection.

Since being paired, David and Michael have shared 10 weekly video calls, each lasting around an hour. For Michael, those calls have become a highlight of his week. While the nursing home supports more than 30 residents, daytime hours can often be quiet, with many people resting. Having a regular, dedicated space for conversation has brought companionship, laughter and renewed purpose into his routine.

Born in Liverpool in 1940, Michael has lived a rich and fascinating life. He speaks warmly about growing up in the city, his years working in France, and his time as a hospital radio presenter. Each conversation has become an exchange of stories, humour and reflection, grounded in shared interests and mutual respect. For David, the experience has been both humbling and affirming.

“As someone who works on this programme every day, I thought I understood its impact,” said David. “But volunteering myself has been a powerful reminder of what consistency and genuine human connection can do. Michael isn’t just someone I speak to once a week, he’s a friend.”

The relationship recently moved beyond the screen when David visited Michael in person following a trip to Liverpool. Over tea and cake, they exchanged gifts and spent time together face to face, strengthening a bond that had already grown naturally through months of conversation.

“It just goes to show that it’s never too late to make a new friend,” David added. “That’s what Adopt a Grandparent is about. Loneliness doesn’t disappear on its own, but when someone shows up, week after week, something truly meaningful can grow. Nobody living in a UK care home should feel alone.”

Adopt a Grandparent connects care home residents with volunteers for regular, one-to-one video calls, carefully matched around shared interests, backgrounds or life experiences. The programme is fully safeguarded and designed to create lasting friendships that benefit both older people and volunteers.

Michael and David’s story is a reminder that connection does not require proximity, only commitment, and that whether through football, music or memories, no one should ever have to walk alone.