Eleven clients, supported by CDA Life carers and four volunteer befrienders, enjoyed a fantastic group trip to Hamerton Zoo Park yesterday as part of our lottery-funded befriending scheme.
Set across more than 20 acres of Cambridgeshire countryside near Sawtry, Hamerton is home to one of the largest cheetah collections in Europe alongside a host of rare and unusual species rarely seen at other UK zoos. The group spent five wonderful hours exploring the park, taking in wallabies, tortoises, monkeys, lemurs and tigers, before lunch in the coffee shop and ice creams in the sunshine.
Claire, our befriending coordinator, said:
“Yesterday, 11 clients, supported by CDA Life carers and four volunteer befrienders, enjoyed a fantastic group trip to Hamerton Zoo Park. We spent five wonderful hours exploring the park and seeing an amazing variety of animals, including wallabies, tortoises, monkeys, lemurs and tigers. The interpreted talks about the otters and meerkats were a particular highlight, making the information accessible and enjoyable for everyone. After lunch in the coffee shop, we finished the day with ice creams in the sunshine. It was a brilliant day filled with laughter, friendship and shared experiences!”
Why the befriending project matters
This trip was made possible by our lottery-funded befriending project, now in its second year of a four-year programme that began in 2025. The project currently supports around 50 deaf and hard of hearing people, matched with around 50 volunteers, and runs events every week.
At its heart, though, is one-to-one support: volunteers visit deaf people in their own homes and get out and about together, whether that’s a trip to the shops, a game of bowling, or a session of archery. It’s built around physical activity and social outings alike, giving people the chance to learn something new and simply have fun.
The benefits go both ways. For deaf people, it means a wider circle of people to communicate with and more opportunities to get out and about. For volunteers, it’s a chance to build their British Sign Language skills and gain experience supporting the deaf community, many take advantage of our free sign language classes alongside their volunteering.
If you’d like more information about the befriending project, including how to get involved as a volunteer or how to access support, please get in touch.