‘With a small team volunteers are key in the delivery of support services’
Tuesday 7th June
At Children Heard and Seen (CHAS) we provide support and...
Dorset volunteers tell us what they love about volunteering
Posted on the 2nd June 2019
I really love volunteering. It gets me out and about, keeping active and meeting people. Since I first volunteered over 10 years ago, I have made many new friends and this has been very positive for me. There is such a variety of work you can do, and all at your own pace. There are so many opportunities and volunteering is such a productive and rewarding thing to do. It’s great!
Michael
When I retired, I found myself isolated and watching daytime TV. Since I started volunteering, I have met some other like-minded people, and life has taken a turn for the better. It feels good to give something back by helping other people.
David R.
I have been a gardening volunteer since Friday 21st April 2006 (the Queen’s 80th Birthday)
These are the things which I think I have gained from working as a volunteer:
1. I have gotten to know a great many people whom I otherwise would not have met
2. I have visited a lot of places in Dorset which I otherwise would not have visited
3. I have gained considerable experience in map reading
4. I have come some way toward understanding how a two-stroke engine works
5. I have had the satisfaction of knowing that I have done something worthwhile, despite not managing to get established in a career.
David D.
I started going to the Volunteer Centre just to use the computers for a donation. After a while, I was encouraged to take part in a number of different training programmes, such as English and maths, health and safety and customer service. I now regularly volunteer for the Centre which has really helped to boost my confidence and make new friends. They have also taught me important life skills such as cooking on a budget and food hygiene. I have been volunteering now for five years and I would recommend it to all.Volunteer Centre Dorset has helped me prepare for and overcome personal challenges and the difficulties I have faced in the outside world
Gary P.
Without volunteers, society as we know it couldn’t function because volunteers care, share, improve and offer hope. They create green community spaces, keep libraries open, care for the disabled, run food banks, shop and garden for the elderly, run educational courses in prisons, run youth clubs – the list is phenomenal.
Volunteering can be an innovation too, such as our Community Credit Scheme where volunteers with Learning Disabilities and mentors work side by side in various roles. Both volunteers and mentors receive credits for every hour they volunteer and can exchange these in café’s, museums, and even taxis.
I volunteer as a mentor with the scheme and have seen huge improvements in the volunteer I support. At first, she couldn’t even be in a room with strangers and is now able to volunteer without me and can travel on public transport to new places on her own.
Volunteering improves lives and the social conditions we live in. It is one of the best things anyone could do with their spare time.
Marlene H.
Issy McGowan
Administration Apprentice at Volunteer Centre Dorset.
"I started off as a volunteer for the Centre, now I am an apprentice with them. Volunteering enabled me to find my place in the world of employment.”
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