The benefits of volunteering
“Volunteering gives me a reason to leave the house and has made my life much more interesting.”
Wales & West Housing resident Colin Wilcock.
Across Wales there are volunteers making amazing contributions to the communities where they live and work.
Whether working in charity shops, helping out at food pantries, raising money or offering a listening ear on support and information lines, the opportunities to volunteer are as individual as the people who give up their time.
Every year they are celebrated in Volunteers Week which aims to inspire more people to make a difference.
In Wales organisations like WCVA and TSSW (Third Sector Support Wales) support volunteering. If you’re looking to get into voluntary work Volunteering Wales is a good place to start.
It aims to make volunteering easy for volunteers and organisations by advertising thousands of opportunities across Wales.
Search to see what’s available in your area.
If you find something that interests you, you can register for free and apply.
Everyone can volunteer. Your age, background and previous experience don’t matter – there is an opportunity out there to suit everyone. If you don’t find what you’re looking for straight away, keep checking.
Holywell residents help out near home
Colin Wilcock and Richard Allum help out at the Holywell Area Community Museum near their homes in North Wales.
The experience they’ve gained serving customers in the cafe and providing support to museum staff has boosted their skills and confidence.
Richard says: “Volunteering at the museum gets me out of the house and talking to people and has helped me with my mental health.
“I’ve learnt some interesting things about the history of Holywell too just from being there and talking to people who come into the museum.”
Colin says: “I feel good working at the museum.”
“Volunteering gives me a reason to leave the house and has made my life much more interesting. If I wasn’t here, I’d be bored at home. It’s good to get up and out and doing things.”
Bridgend foodbanks get a little help from Rosemary
Helping out at her local food pantries in Bridgend has given resident Rosemary Bell a reason to get up every day.
Rosemary, aged 77, suffers from ill health but three times a week she volunteers at local food pantries run by community organisation Baobab Bach in Nantymoel, Maesteg and Wildmill.
Baobab Bach runs a network of food pantries across Bridgend County, where people who join can buy bags of food for £5 which are made up from items saved from going to waste by supermarkets.
“I make cups of tea and coffee for the people who come to the pantry. Or I help serving the visitors, bagging up vegetables for them to take home,” says Rosemary.
“It doesn’t feel like work at all.”
“It’s good for my own mental health. When I’m helping people, I don’t think about myself and my problems. It gives me a reason to get up and get out of my flat.”
“Alison, who runs the pantries, is so helpful and looks out for me.
Volunteering at the pantry has been a life saver. I wouldn’t be without it.”
