Volunteers' Stories

Our volunteers are currently involved in many different organisations. Many of them have chosen to volunteer as “something to do” and to “get me out of the house”. Here are two of their stories:

One volunteer has been experiencing mental health problems for over ten years which has left her with very low self-confidence and when I first met her she did not believe that she could do a lot. She is not very confident when dealing with new people and was keen to work with wildlife organisations. She is now volunteering, mainly outdoors, helping with the maintenance of wildlife habitats and carrying out research. She has since flourished and is enjoying her work. She has also regained some of her confidence and is getting on well with the other volunteers and staff at the organisation.

Another volunteer who came to the supported volunteering project has had along history of mental health and very worried about spending a lot of time alone. Long illness had also caused memory problems and problems reading and writing. We therefore found a volunteering role where he would befriend elderly people where he could socialise himself but also make a difference someone else’s life.