If you volunteer, what is your primary reason?

I like having something interesting to do. I enjoy the company and intellectual stimulation and it's important to me to be trying to do something to help an overlooked group of people.

Which group of people does the charity support, Aveline?

Animal rescue/welfare, once a week, I hate Animal abuse and the funds raised go to vet fees etc, secondly the interaction with people not associated with my dh welfare or other, and the variety of folk that come into the shop, interesting and I have made friends.

I volunteer with school readers listening to children read
I always want to do some volunteering activity and believe reading is very important and the basis of so much

I volunteered for the Alzheimer's Society because a friend was looking for advice on coping with her husband who had a dementia diagnosis.

I found that the Alzheimer's Society ran courses to help Carers. Sadly, they didn't run them in her area but they were looking for volunteers in my area.

I love the work and now also do other things for Carers of people with a dementia diagnosis. I can get evangelical.

But, it also helps give my week a structure, I have made new friends and I get a lovely warm glow when people say that the courses have helped make their lives a bit better.

To relieve the boredom and give some structure to my week. I need to be busy and once retired I no longer wanted a 'proper' job with all the stresses that entails, but did want something to do ( inbetween helping out with my 4 grandchildren). Volunteering fits the bill, and I have the added bonus of knowing I'm helping one of my favourite charities (Save the Children). Another benefit, which I didn't really expect, is the lovely ladies on my shift have become good friends,

I volunteer at our local amdram theatre which is housed in a church and stages 10 productions each year. Since retiring to Torbay I have appeared on stage quite a few times in various productions including comedy, Shakespeare, Agathe Christie plays, etc.

When not on stage I help by being a steward on Front of House as I enjoy the interaction with our patrons. I'm also a member of the Props team. Throughout my life I have supported the performing arts as I find it rewarding plus it gives me a social life.

Occasionally, I volunteer as the pianist for the early service at church when our regular organist is unavailable.

Ashcombe

I volunteer at our local amdram theatre which is housed in a church and stages 10 productions each year. Since retiring to Torbay I have appeared on stage quite a few times in various productions including comedy, Shakespeare, Agathe Christie plays, etc.

When not on stage I help by being a steward on Front of House as I enjoy the interaction with our patrons. I'm also a member of the Props team. Throughout my life I have supported the performing arts as I find it rewarding plus it gives me a social life.

Occasionally, I volunteer as the pianist for the early service at church when our regular organist is unavailable.

I'm involved with am-dram too. Acting is really good fun, although I do help out in other ways - promotion, prompting, taking photos for the group's social media channels, etc.

Like Gardenersdelight I am also a reading volunteer and do two sessions a week in a local junior school. It started doing this a year after DH died and this, and other activities I take part in, have brought back some structure to my day to day life.

I volunteer in a charity shop and I started when I retired . I wanted to do something positive and have structure in my day . It’s a local children’s charity and is quite small compared to say Oxfam and Cancer research .
I’ve never worked in retail , so it’s been great to learn new things .

GarethofOrkney I work with a very small charity that provides some support for parents and families of adults with autism. Most services relate to children but they all grow up and often Mum is left to look after their autistic family member. We have parents in their 80s and 90s although most are younger.

Aveline

GarethofOrkney I work with a very small charity that provides some support for parents and families of adults with autism. Most services relate to children but they all grow up and often Mum is left to look after their autistic family member. We have parents in their 80s and 90s although most are younger.

Aveline - Thank you for explaining. A worthy cause.

Like you Tenko a charity shop but an area charity rather than national or local I do it for my own sanity I need something to do, something to get up for, and some structure
I do about 20 hours a week and would be lost without it.

I volunteer at our local theatre as a steward because I get to see some amazing shows weekly for free.

I volunteered for the CAB - loved it, but had to give it up due to the hellish time I had during my divorce - up and down to solicitors regarding financial settlement etc
I’m too old to go back and now I hear it’s a long training period etc
And if you call, working for my husband in his practice - that was almost a volunteered job 😂 - and a thankless one !!