Do you volunteer?

GrannyHaggis Headway is a brilliant organisation.

My son suffered a stroke 5 years ago at the age of 35. Because the stroke association's main client base is older, he was referred to Headway. His outreach worker has been brilliant, taking him swimming once a week but generally being a friend. Since Matt has been allocated an adapted flat, Headway, and some of their clients have decorated his flat throughout and done lots of DIY for him.

On Friday, he spoke a Headway conference and has been asked to speak at a conference of stroke/head injury professionals. He also had a stall selling his book - he sold out!!

I volunteer for the Witness Service in our local Magistrates Court but given more time, I would love to do something for Headway.

Actually it's difficult with crutches, the dratted things keep slipping off!

I've got some beauties I bought in kusadasi, brilliant shop there and we're going back there in sept

jeni buy some nice cashmere wraps that can hide a multitude of sins and wear those gowns with gusto when you go cruising.

There won't be any fab gowns unless I can lose a stone!

horror jeni We need the vicarious pleasures of your elegant gowns and fabulous voyages. No, no – you must find time.

I've done in the past,but now my pt work seems to have taken over completely. And then there's GN. I don't seem to have time for any hobbies these days!
It's even getting difficult to fit cruising in!

Not volunteering right now, but have done lots of volunteering – sometimes formally and sometimes in a haphazard kind of way (probably not possible these days) in the past. I think helping others in an altruistic way is part of the way we define ourselves as human beings. At the same time, S*d the Big Society.

I volunteer with the Brain Injury charity, Headway. I've worked 'in house' doing all sorts of things, but at the moment, I'm working with a young man who wants to find a job nearer to home. The work is quite challenging, and as he changes his mind every week about what kind of job he wants, quite frustrating! But we're getting there ! We have a plan of action and hopefully he/we'll stick to it.
Used to help out at the local Church's Lunch Club once a month, but I was beginning to find I needed longer and longer to recover from an afternoon of shopping, then a day of food preparation,cooking, serving for 32 elderly ladies and gentlemen and then cleaning up. So I don't do that anymore.

Most of you know how much I enjoy my community, national and international work with Rotary, of which I am very fond! New members are always welcome.

I am now about to start as a speaker for the Breast Cancer Campaign, who research BC and have exciting research going on.

We have a lady who comes into the Charity shop I help out in on a Saturday she brings all the gift aided goods up to date on the computer which really helps us with the end of month figures it is a great help as we can see on a weekly basis how much we are making from the gift aid scheme and how much we need to achieve to reach our monthly target.She is a godsend so you may like to do something like this getmehrt

Age UK sometimes run courses for older people who want to learn to use computers - many of us could be helpful with those.

Hi getmehrt I think you were looking for ideas which used your IT skills in particular so I would suggest you put together a brief CV of what you can do and circulate it around all the local charities. Your library should have a list. You could also give it to your local Volunteer Bureau if you have one.

There are lots of other suggestions here if you do want to do something else but I think you are quite specific about what you want to do.

If you like history the National Trust is a good one to volunteer for if there's anywhere local. It's not just room guiding they also use a lot of volunteers for research, training and office stuff - and, once you've been there a bit, you get 20% off in the NT shop!

Grannylin, I know what you mean. I'm just going to PM you.

I have been helping in a local School with 4-7yr. olds, listening to them reading Nearly 5 yrs. - it is very rewarding when you realise how well they respond. Each child needs a different approach , I think.

Anybody else recently done the new CAB training?Am in the middle of a course to be a Gateway Assessor but having spent a day observing am not too sure I like the way the service has changed....basically my function will be to 'interrogate' the 'client' with some very intrusive questions which I put into the computer and then only recommend him/her to see an advisor at a later date, if desperate....which most clients are. I realise they have to be efficient and collect statistics but it all seems a bit detached and timewasting.

I 'volunteer' ,I have done for the past 6 years or so usually do for family organisations that help families in crisis i.e Domestic violence,etc,I also looked at witness service in Local courts these volunteers support witnesses during their time giving evidence.Also have done CAB,befriending.
does any of those whet your appetitexxx

One stop shop only operates in certain boroughs. Not sure how the recruitment of governors is done in academies.

susiecb, I'm sure you will enjoy being a governor, especially if you make a point of going into school (by arrangement) and getting to know the staff. I loved 'my' primary school where I chaired the governors for several years. I miss it, but it was time for the younger, very enthusiastic parent governors to take up the reins.

Anyone interested in school governor role should register on the Governor One Stop Shop who will circulate your interest and details to schools in your area looking for a governor.

I have just been given a post as a Community Govenor at a local primary school. I don't know what my role is yet but I am going on an induction day soon. Having spent my working life in the NHS and social care I didn't want any more of that primary school education is a new one on me.

On the news today the county council is looking for volunteer guides at a number of historic sites - looks interesting.

You sometimes reap unexpected rewards from volunteering. My daughter is used to working full time and found she had some time on her hands when they moved to NZ and she no longer needed to work. She volunteers at Riding for the Disabled and has made a host of new friends, and the woman who organises it has invited her to ride with her on her 240 acre ranch and is giving her advanced riding lessons. She hadn't ridden since she sold her horse when she was a teenager and is loving every minute of it. Her daughter, aged 14, and son, aged 13, are also volunteering and enjoy mucking out, grooming the horses and making friends with the disabled children.
She has always been an active member of her community, being a school governor, playgroup helper, etc. and her children have also volunteered during their six-form years. They were helping children with learning difficulties and really enjoyed it. It looks good on their CV too!

I volunteered for the Adult Literacy Scheme and taught Basic Maths when I was teaching. I was treasurer or secretary of the Guides, the Riding Club, and the PTA at each school my girls attended. It was noticeable that the mothers who volunteered (and some Dads) were mainly in full time jobs - the stay at home mums said they were too busy. I did wonder whether it was just that they lacked the confidence of the working mothers. My sister, who has never worked outside the home, used to say often that somebody should be doing something for the young people in her neighbourhood, but was astonished when I suggested that she might do something herself.

The only thing I could volunteer for here in France would be giving English conversation classes at the local school, but I am reluctant to be committed on a regular basis to anything, as I am so often away from home.

Sorry forgot to add on the IT side that there is someone co-ordinating calls/volunteers etc.