It’s never too late to discover the big rewards from volunteering
We are living in a remarkable time for the voluntary sector, says Juliet Short, operations and development manager at Connex Community Support
MY lockdown goals may have been set too high. I haven’t managed to make pretzels or sourdough. I haven’t painted anything. I still haven’t cleared out my garage. I haven’t even managed yet to sew a single face mask.
However, I’m happy that in my small way I’m helping to support other people in these extraordinary times.
I came to volunteering relatively late – volunteering was an escape from endless housework when my son started school.
If my house could speak, it would doubtless tell you that it was an escape route that may have worked rather too well. Yet I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Helping others boosts our mood and counteracts the effect of cortisol and is a great way to mitigate against coronavirus-induced or indeed housework-induced stress.
Spring 2020 has been an extraordinary time for volunteering. It has been fantastic and inspiring to see the work of the 3,500 Mutual Aid Groups across the country helping millions of people.
Also to see the NHS Volunteer Responder website swamped with more than 750,000 willing volunteers and the hundreds of people who responded to the Community Response Unit (CRU) website at derbyshire.gov.uk.
Amazingly, the call for volunteers has exceeded need on both a local and national level and this means that many have been disappointed not to have either been able to help more or not to have been contacted at all.
As Volunteer Centre for the Dales, we will be phoning the hundreds of people who registered an interest in volunteering via the CRU over the next few months, to explore whether they might wish to volunteer in another capacity with charities and community interest companies. Whilst many charities, like our own, may be offering revised volunteering opportunities to align with the new normal, there will nevertheless be countless flexible and rewarding opportunities for those eager to give back. From special constables to digital champions, online group coordinators to pet therapy coordinators, telephone befrienders and dog walkers: there will be ultimately be something out there to suit everyone, regardless of age or talents. In the words of John Blackwall, one of our volunteer drivers: “The actual act of volunteering - I should have done it years ago.
“I’ve got a lot out of volunteering. Aside from getting married and having children, it has been the singular thing in my life that has had meaning and impact: long may it continue.
“The reward of helping someone is so very precious. Seeing someone respond with joy after they have been a beneficiary is so rewarding, it means so very much.”
For those shielding because of underlying health conditions, we are confident that as a community we are continuing to meet basic needs for delivery of shopping, prescriptions and telephone calls.
We are now actively working to brighten the last weeks of quarantine for as many as we can to give them the fortitude to continue to stay at home.
With this in mind, Connex are looking forward to delivering some very special little parcels during the next fortnight.
Whether or not you’re back at work, you too might wish to consider abandoning making pretzels and sourdough.
Stop cutting your own hair! Continue to help yourself by helping others. Continue to be a good neighbour, friend and relative. Stay safe.
Aside from marrying and having children, it has been the thing that has had meaning and impact. John Blackwall