Volunteer stories

We walk in the local park and chat about various topics in life from religions, nature to oriental cultures. We share our life stories. I consider that our bond is built gradually with the life experiences we share. If I could summarise my volunteering experience as a Buddy it would be “Share stories, connect mind and flourish our life together”. The photo I’ve shared shows our shadows on one of our morning walks when we saw a squirrel.

I was really keen to contribute to the local community, meet new people, learn new things and do things I’ve never done before, all which I’ve definitely achieved.

It has given me something positive and productive to look forward to outside of work. It’s very easy to be tired and worn out after a busy week at work but having a GIG Buddy show in my diary for the weekend is always something I really look forward to. I’ve learnt that pushing past any nerves you may have and doing something new is really rewarding.

Seeing my GIG buddy with a massive grin and dancing all night at the last gig we went to have definitely been the highlight so far.

Do it! You’ll have so much support form people who have done it before, and you’ll learn loads and hopefully have some great new experiences.

I was definitely nervous. Would I be good at it? Would my GIG buddy like me? Thankfully my nerves very quickly dissipated and it’s been such a positive experience so far.

It’s opened me up to new experiences that I wouldn’t have done without my Buddy. It’s been fantastic to meet someone who is so positive and enthusiastic, we have a lot of fun and my life feels richer for having them in it. All the training has been great and it answered all the questions I had. I’ve always felt really supported and know that if any issues do appear, there will be lots of help available.

I support customers through conversation and engagement and identify my strengths as problem solving, planning and record-keeping skills, which support my contribution to the team.

I’m no longer able to undertake paid employment so volunteering has helped maintain a sense of purpose, providing mental simulation and structure to my time. It helps me feel useful and connected.

I’m motivated by the desire to help others and give back to the community. My role includes customer service tasks such as checking food baskets, engaging with visitors and preparing refreshments.

I find volunteering highly satisfying, particularly when seeing the positive impact on individuals. I value the diversity of people I meet and the sense of enjoyment within the team. An example of this is a meaningful experience I had supporting a man with very limited mobility – interactions like these reinforce the importance of community and inclusion.

I was motivated to volunteer as a way to stay active, use my time productively and engage with others. I really enjoy the social aspect, interacting with both shoppers and fellow volunteers and have find the experience rewarding and fulfilling.

The environment is friendly and welcoming and my responsibilities include preparing drinks, organising shelves, cleaning and general kitchen support.

As a retiree I value volunteering as a meaningful and enjoyable way to spent time, it has had a positive impact on my mental health as well as the opportunity to build new relationships and connections within the community.

I feel I bring strong interpersonal, management and computing skills to my role and enjoy sharing my interest in cooking with others. Through volunteers I’ve developed a deeper understanding of the local community, including its demographics, needs and available services.

Team work and the supportive environment is important within the pantry and an example of this was supporting a distressed individual who was able to leave calmer and reassured – which reflects the safe and welcoming space the pantry provides.

As a predominantly volunteer-led organisation, our volunteers can get involved in a variety of ways, from helping out to leading events and activities. Many start as members and as their confidence grows, begin to take on smaller roles, such as welcoming new members who may speak little English, sharing skills, representing the Network at events across the city and providing practical support at our drop-ins.

One of the benefits shared by our volunteers, from our many different nationalities, is the opportunity to meet people and learn about cultures they might not have encountered otherwise. Our membership is made up of so many talented women who may be new to the UK or have limited English, but are eager to meet others and develop their skills and experiences. Through volunteering we often see our members’ confidence flourish, with some women going on to apply for jobs, for which we are happy to provide references.

They bring new ideas, lived experiences, enthusiasm and warmth, and without them, the Network simply wouldn’t be able to run the wide range of activities that makes us who we are.

I have learned many valuable skills that help me grow as a person. One of the most important things is the importance of helping others and giving back to the community. I have also developed better communication and team work skills.

Another key lesson I have learned is empathy. I enjoy the opportunity to make a positive difference in people’s lives, meeting new people and being part of a supportive team.

Working as a volunteer taught me to be considerate and helpful to people who were forced to leave their countries due to various circumstances and to try to respect and understand their needs. Seeing their smiles and joy fills me with happiness and I get the sense of ability to help, even in small ways.

Meeting new people, helping with activities and organising events. It keeps me busy and gives me a sense of belonging. The companionship and lovely events are very rewarding. I love all the crafts that I get involved in. – Steering Group Volunteer

I got involved initially because a friend was doing it and enjoying what she was doing.

I retired and decided I wanted to volunteer. I chose Healthwatch for what might have been one or two reasons; my dad was a community pharmacist and I grew up behind a chemist shop. I think my interest in Healthwatch has continued, and why I’m still a volunteer because it most closely matches my interest and how I feel I can contribute.

I started volunteering some time ago, around 2000. Volunteering gives many of us, including me, a sense of purpose outside of just ourselves. I think it’s good to be doing something with and for other people. We all have to get through the day as ourselves and do things that are for ourselves, but if that’s where everything stops, your life’s a little bit insular so I think it’s good to be doing something with and for other people – whether it’s volunteering or something else. That was my initial motivation.

It’s flexible – I think that’s really important. I went through a bit of bad phase and what was good about Healthwatch was that I could say, at the moment, I’m just coping. They were really supportive and said I could back when I felt able to take something on. I didn’t feel I was letting anybody down, but that I could return when I felt stronger.

I wanted to retire and build up a portfolio of others things to do, I wanted to start volunteering with organisations where you learn things and also stay connected with what you do. Healthwatch is perfect because while I worked in a lot of operational improvement, patient voices were few and far between. With volunteering you really see the flipside of how patient feedback is now helping improve the operational side, so I think that’s been really helpful.

There is an awful lot of stuff available that people don’t know about. But as a volunteer, you become known as a person who knows. There’s stuff I never knew about, like facilities, opportunities etc. that I would never have learned about if I wasn’t a volunteer, and I love to share that.

We’ve all mixed with other volunteers and a variety of different organisations, so you can say, ‘I don’t know but I know a person who does’, and straight away you can redirect them.

I discovered more about health literacy. I’ve learned while volunteering to improve my communication; to speak more simply to talk to the everyday person, whereas before I was using a lot of jargon. As a volunteer, when you go and talk to people, they feel that you are listening to them. You’re listening with a cause at the end of it.

I think there are many reasons for volunteering but there is a personal motivation. For example, if you’re doing everything for yourself, and not anything outside of your immediate little circle of family or friends, you’re kind of in this little cocoon, whereas if you’re engaging with people from different backgrounds, you’re learning more etc.

From a social point of view, there are many social benefits of being a volunteer. First of all, you meet fellow volunteers, and you become friends with some of them and good acquaintances with others, which is great. That certainly applies to me. If you’re making friends through volunteering, then if you need help, a volunteer can be your friend and help you.

I meet up with a past Healthwatch volunteer every couple of months for a coffee. We enjoy talking about the same things, and he has become a dear friend.

It does stop brain atrophy, because it does keep you thinking. It does keep you talking.

We do have the opportunity to meet up quite often as a social group, and its lovely.

Don’t be afraid to dip your toe in the water. And if you do volunteer with an organisation and you decide it’s not for you, don’t decide that volunteering is not for you, just that volunteering with that organisation is not right for you. Because it’s a little bit like a dating agency. You just need to find the organisation that you want to be involved with. Find a good match.

At Time to Talk Befriending we are committed to making sure that no older person feels forgotten or alone. Every day we support older people through one-to-one befriending, group activities, chaplaincy, intergenerational projects and vital wellbeing checks. Volunteers are the heartbeat of our charity. As one volunteer beautifully put it, “I’ve volunteered at a number of charities and I have never been made to feel so appreciated as I do with you… I love being part of the community.” Their generosity is what makes connection possible.

Across our services, volunteers offer companionship, visit people at home, support events, help run dementia-inclusive activities, and provide care for those facing end of life. They are often the only regular social visitor an older person has. One scheme member shared, “She charges my batteries when she comes, and I keep going for another week.” This is the difference volunteers make.

Before using the Volunteer Centre and its online platform, we were experiencing the same challenges that many charities supporting older people now face. Demand for our service had risen, complexity had increased, and volunteer recruitment in certain areas had slowed. Reaching new volunteers in our ‘cold spot’ areas, such as Adur and Worthing, required more time and investment than our small team could manage alone.

We use the Volunteer Centre because we need a partner who understands the local landscape and can help us reach compassionate people who might never have heard of us before. The platform is easy to navigate, and the team offer personal support, encouragement and advice if needed.

We have used the Volunteer Centre to promote our one to one befriender roles. The platform has had a significant impact on our recruitment. It has broadened our reach, attracted volunteers from new areas and helped us match older people with volunteers who share their interests, values and personality. As one scheme member said about their volunteer, “It was the best thing you could ever have done for me.”

We estimate that around one quarter of our new volunteer enquiries come through the Volunteer Centre. These volunteers are not only committed but deeply aligned with the heart of our charity. Many of them tell us that they gain as much as they give. “Lovely to have a friend from a different generation,” one volunteer shared. Another told us, “Volunteering is a mutually beneficial experience.”

The support we have received has been excellent. The team is responsive, knowledgeable and genuinely committed to strengthening volunteering in our local area. They champion our work and always treat us with warmth and respect.

Absolutely. We would wholeheartedly recommend the Volunteer Centre and online platform to any organisation seeking to grow meaningful volunteering. It saves time, widens reach and helps you connect with people who genuinely want to make a difference. For us, this partnership has helped us continue overcoming loneliness with compassion and excellence.

The strongest reason we value our volunteers comes from the voices of those we serve:

• “You make us feel very special in a world where we are often forgotten.”
• “Without my befriender, I would not see anyone except my carer.”
• “She (befriender) is a ray of sunshine.”

Our volunteers transform lives. And thanks to the Volunteer Centre, new volunteers come forward to help us make sure that every older person feels seen, heard and valued.