Opeyemi had always dreamed of completing a masters. In 2022, she found out that her wish had been granted when she was accepted on a Digital Marketing Strategy course in the UK. Her husband and children supported her 100%, and so together they made the move from Nigeria to Bradford – even though this meant leaving most of their belongings behind.
Starting over in an empty home was tough, and the family had resorted to eating and sleeping on the floor of their new flat. This all changed when Opeyemi downloaded Olio and requested a table from Kat. As it was so heavy, Kat’s husband drove round to drop it off. Touched by this kindness, Opeyemi sent Kat a message to thank her. The next day, she had an unexpected reply:
“I don’t want to intrude, but my husband noticed that your home is virtually empty. Would you mind if my friends and I brought you some things?”
Opeyemi gratefully accepted, but she had no idea at this point just how much generosity was coming her way. Over the following week, Opeyemi was flabbergasted as Kat and her friends repeatedly appeared at her door with items for the flat. Plates, bowls, duvets, pillows, towels, detergent, an airfryer – even a loft bed for the children.
“Within 4-5 days, they’d furnished my whole house. They virtually built my home for me. They just kept coming until I was comfortable”
Opeyemi loves using her airfryer and finds it especially useful for making patties for the kids’ packed lunches. It also helps the family save energy by avoiding using the oven. However, one of the best things about the experience for Opeyemi was that she was able to use Kat’s actions to help teach her children, aged 9 and 5, about kindness.
“I said to them look, we don’t know these people, we’ve never seen them before and yet they are doing all of this for us – so anywhere you go, try and be kind to everybody you meet”
Opeyemi and her husband still use Olio every day, keeping an eye out for items for their family and also for things others might need. Opeyemi was delighted when she was able to help friends of hers find a new sofa and even a washing machine. She also still regularly speaks to Kat and other friends she has made through Olio.
“We might not see each other that often but we chat a lot. If I’m in need of anything now, they’re the ones I’d call first”
Favourite thing about Olio:
“The surprise of finding out how kind people are, and the lengths they will go to give. It really, really touched me”
Favourite Olio item:
“Everything I’ve got on Olio is my favourite! All the items are so wonderful to me”