At Compassionate Inverclyde, our mission resonates far beyond our local borders, touching the lives of those who walk through our doors from across the globe. Visitors’ Voices is a dedicated space to share the firsthand experiences, reflections, and heartening feedback from everyone who visits our office and community hubs. Whether you’ve travelled from just around the corner or from the other side of the world, your perspective fuels our growth and honours the spirit of kindness we strive to cultivate.
I am writing to share some of my thoughts and reflections from the visit on 26/02/2026. While I had previously learned about the concept of Compassionate Cities through Allan's lectures, seeing your grassroots, hands on activities in action was truly inspiring. I was deeply struck by your teams dedication to "being there" for people experiencing loneliness and social isolation. Projects like "No One Dies Alone" and the "Back Home Bag/No One Goes Home Alone" highlight the true power of human connection and kindness, which goes far beyond conventional care services. I also found the "Meditation Labyrinth" by the sea to be a wonderfully creative approach to community wellbeing. Your advice to "start small" and listen to the community's needs deeply resonated with me . As a GP from Japan, your strong leadership and the passionate volunteer network you have built gave me immense encouragement and numerous ideas for my own future work in community health. Thank you again for your time, your kindness, and this invaluable experience.
My colleague, Sandra (Community Connector – Frailty), and I had the pleasure of visiting the Compassionate Inverclyde team on Wednesday, the 18th of February. We were truly overwhelmed by the remarkable work undertaken by the team for the benefit of their community. Their ability to actively listen to the needs expressed by local people and translate these into meaningful action is exemplary. The way they have encouraged and enabled community involvement—through volunteering and by drawing upon the many assets within the community—is particularly inspiring. At Kilbryde Hospice, we are in the early stages of developing our own Compassionate Community service. The insights shared during our visit were invaluable, offering us guidance on effective community engagement and highlighting key places and initiatives to explore as we progress. Thank you once again for welcoming us. Your work has provided genuine inspiration, and we aspire to achieve a similarly high standard of service here at Kilbryde.
I am sending my thoughts along with my greatest gratitude. Alison guided us (me & two Japanese) to two office locations and The Elderseed Labyrinth etc, when I had the opportunity to hear valuable stories about their activities. Although I had seen photos and text on the website and in reports, seeing first-hand the numerous items for knitting and daily necessities made me strongly feel the passion and the large number of people involved in this initiative. Alison mentioned that the activity she started alone has grown in this way thanks to the connections among people in Inverclyde. As a doctor in Japan, I often encounter individuals who spend their end of life alone without reliable family or friends due to weak social connections and isolation. I felt that the activities of NODA and Back Home Boxes and other organized by Compassionate Inverclyde realize a compassionate community by respecting individuals as people, while the volunteers involved experience care and the proximity of death, living and dying together, sharing that process. I deeply sensed that a lot of time was devoted to preparing dialogues leading up to this realization, and that effort is now blossoming and spreading to involve much more people. I am certain that it will continue to be rooted in and expand within the Inverclyde community. Currently, I live in Glasgow by the river Clyde, and when I think that a compassionate community lies beyond this river, it allows me to believe in the kindness of people, filling me with warmth. I think their activities are very valuable not only for those directly involved but also for those who are distanced, as they help foster the belief in the possibility of living with compassion. The phrase that Alison mentioned several times, ‘ordinary people can make incredible things,’ resonates in my heart. I want to reaffirm my belief in human potential and apply it to my activities after returning to Japan.
Thank you for this opportunity to speak and let you know what I have learned in the 3 months since I have been with Compassionate Inverclyde. I am currently studying for a Master’s degree in Social Education, but this path began long before my formal studies. Growing up, my family moved often, and I lived in many different parts of Japan. Each move meant leaving something behind and starting again. Over time, I learned how fragile and precious everyday connections can be, and how much we depend on one another to feel grounded. The 2011 Japanese earthquake and the tsunami that followed changed me deeply, what stayed with me most was not only the scale of the disaster, but the quiet strength of ordinary people and how important this is. I believe this will become even more important as our world continues to change. Through my observations of Compassionate Inverclyde, I have had the chance to be involved in many projects all of which are happening at the same time and the key feeling I have is that support is happening every day, it’s ordinary and continuous. When I sat with a patient along with a NODA companion and he died while I was there is something that will stay with me. It was a privilege to support this patient who I only knew by his first name. What will also stay with me is the sense of support that’s felt every day. Not in big moments, but in continuity—people showing up, listening, repeating the work, letting it grow slowly. Over time, another layer forms, and the process evolves naturally. I think that volunteering felt like a place of belonging for the volunteers themselves, not only something they offer to others. I often heard people use the word “family,” and that felt like a symbol of how this work strengthens people’s connection to the community, including how they learn to face death together rather than alone. I have spent a lot of time with the team, 3 people who share responsibility and the level of sharing and trust is striking, but I was also aware that this kind of relationship feels quite rare and not something that can easily be created anywhere. For me, that rarity is part of what makes it possible to trust volunteers so deeply and to work with them in the way CI does. Moving between Japan and Scotland has given me perspective. The cultures, histories, and social systems are different, yet it’s the same questions. How do we live together and how do we support one another? What I carry forward from all of this is a simple belief that feels deeply personal to me: people are a universal resource. When we meet each other with openness, patience, and trust, even small, ordinary actions can become the foundation for meaningful change.
