Do you volunteer?

Age UK runs computer classes for older people. use your IT skills to become a tutor with them.

I was a home visiting benefits advisor for over 10 years after I retired using the same skills I used in my career to provide Senior Managers and Directors with all the economic and market data they needed to support their decision making.

have a look at your local authority website. I found one of my volunteer opportunities on the Volunteer page of their website.

Since retiring, my husband has done voluntary work as a tour guide for the National Trust. He loves every minute of it. He wasn't looking forward to retiring very much. He has always had jobs where he has had to communicate with/manage people. He now chooses which days he wants to work, he usually does 2 afternoons. The National Trust trained him and he now knows the complete history of the place he volunteers at. (He has always loved history). He meets people from all over the world. He is lucky enough to be a short bus ride from his place of 'work' and can use his free travel pass. It has helped him greatly to deal with his retirement.

That sounds a super volunteering position KatyK. I once volunteered at Linley Sambourne House in Kensington where I acted as a room guide or helped catalogue some of Mr S's rather dubious photographs - great fun and learned a lot. In complete contrast I'm now investigating how the lack of toilet access affects Truckers! It's a steep learning curve

Both with the elderly and with the local primary school. Great to get to know all the young and old around here and to get involved with the community. Also teach some of the local kids who are struggling.

I have just begun work as a volunteer at a local National Trust garden, and love meeting the public and working in a team. Last year I trained to be a Gateway Assessor with the C.A.B., having been a volunteer with them back in the 1980's, but I found the whole system has changed and there is very little positive feedback to help one cope with the endless problems so many people encounter in our modern world. Also, being an assessor means I had to pass on the problems unless they were straight forward, so I never had any sense of real satisfaction, although most callers told me they felt so much better for just talking to someone. After three months in bureau, I gave it up - you do have to get something positive from your volunteering. I still feel guilty!
I am a befriender with Age Concern and attended a tea party for my "client's" 90th birthday last week - it was lovely to meet all her family, who live in other parts of the UK.

I volunteer at a local group connected with the work I used to do with Special Needs children . It means I can maintain my interest whilst, hopefully helping the families of these children with their many and varied problems. Lack of funding means this can now only be for one morning per week ,instead of the 5 ,and then 3,days it used to be.
This gives me a purpose in retirement and a bonus is that I've made some good new friends as well.

Public libraries are increasingly dependant on the help of volunteers.
Hopefully by now Getmehrt will be employed somehow, but a good use of IT skills would be as a computer buddy, helping customers to use the public pcs.

I am a Holistic Therapist & have worked for six years as a Volunteer at a local Hospice Day Care Centre..... I have taken a short break for family commitments & have recently started volunteering at our local MIND treating the service users & carers. I find it very rewarding & they have not had the opportunity to have these treatments before. I am able to go when I can... with flexibility to alter dates if something crops up. It is very rewarding. Anyone with these skills should try it! You will love it!

Going on a 2 day school trip with our local primary school - camping at a Bird study park near Geneva, hurrah

I was a volunteer for a greyhound rescue charity for five years. I walked the dogs awaiting homes at a local kennels, transported them to and from vets, organised fundraising events and rattled tins on street corners. I met people from all walks of life and some wonderful dogs along the way including my own.

It did however take over my life and became very stressful, when DHs health began to deteriorate I had to call it a day. Nowadays I just collect and donate raffle prizes for the various greyhound charities that I support.

Previously I had always lacked confidence and I was amazed to discover that I had skills that I never thought I owned.

I manage a really inspiring charity called Stockport Without Abuse which supports women and children affected by domestic abuse.

We are always looking for volunteers who can spare a few hours either regularly or periodically to support us in so many ways.

Our volunteers can help in the crèche, plan fundraising, support ladies in crisis over the telephone, help a trainer in weekly group work in a variety of admin roles and anything else they can offer.

If any of you live anywhere near Stockport, you'd be most welcome to pop along and have a chat.

I retired 10 years ago at age 65 and since then have volunteered at my local Hospice. I have a regular 4 hour shift on the OutPatient Reception and am also on call for Main In Patient Reception when they are short staffed. In addition to this I also work at 2 of the Hospice Charity shops on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. I thoroughly enjoy my volunteering work and feel I am giving something back to the Community, as well as getting out and meeting people and keeping my body and mind active.

I do bits and pieces of volunteering with various charities from stuffing envelopes, collecting money to running a stall at an event or answering the phone at an office. I get contacted to see if I can help out at busy times or when f/t staff are away. I am also a school governor and that takes up quite a bit of time too.
The charity work helps me feel less impotent abut the areas they are supporting and I feel I am contributing , in a small way, to making a positive difference to things i feel strongly about.

fleetchris having visited our nearby hospice every day for several weeks last year, thankyou to you special people on reception who greet worried relatives with concern and sensitivity, and create that atmosphere of calmness. It's so reassuring to walk in, wondering what you might face today, to be greeted with 'oh, we thought you would be coming soon. Have you had chance to grab a sandwich? Cup of tea?' I often wondered if the volunteers were there after benefiting from the hospice's care of their own relatives. They certainly do make a hard time more bearable.