Linda* is a busy volunteer who has contributed to several areas of Communities 1st work. She is involved in shopping, has supported Afghan refugees, and been a telephone befriender. When I called, she was having work carried out on her home. The loud banging disturbed her dog, Spot, who retaliated with loud barking. Amidst the “noises off,” I soon recognise that Linda is quite a private person. In this blog, she didn’t want me to use her real name. I think she felt that what she did was nothing particularly special. She suggested that she got as much out of volunteering as the people she worked with.
“I get so many benefits from volunteering,” Linda explained to me. “I like to be doing something and to have an aim in life. I’m not working any more, but I strongly believe that when you retire you shouldn’t retire from life. Through volunteering I have met lots of lovely people. It helps you to get out and stops you feeling lonely. As a joke, I often tell people that volunteering keeps me off the streets.”
I’ve discovered that Linda has a good sense of humour. This can be important in volunteering because it helps to break down barriers and build relationships.
We talked about the people that Linda helps and the needs that they have. We recognised that the difficulties that they face were real and that she was able to make a difference. However, Linda quickly added “You need to look at both sides. I benefit too.”
Regular shoppers can provide a personalised service
When Linda started with Communities 1st, she really wanted to be a befriender, but the opportunities weren’t there; instead, she did a lot of shopping. Later she became a telephone befriender. She explained that she would phone “an elderly gentleman. I very much enjoyed this. It’s a bit surprising because when you regularly talk to someone you soon find out that you have a lot in common.” The befriending came to an end “when very sadly the old boy passed away. I look back fondly on the chats that we had.”
Since 2020, Linda has been shopping for an elderly couple who are quite disabled and then last year she started shopping regularly for an elderly lady. Linda feels that there are real benefits in one person doing the shopping for the service user - “It means that you really get to know them and what they like. The personal touch is so important. If the shop is out of stock of something I can always find a substitute. This works well. I can also look at the dates on the foods and avoid short sell by dates. Sometimes they might put down ‘sausage rolls’, for example, but because I know them, I will know how many they will want and what type.”
Linda is happy to help. “We’ve built a nice relationship. I think we see each other as friends. We always have a short chat and a laugh and a joke about everyday things. But I don’t stay long.” Linda is keen not to intrude. “They don’t need befriending – the couple have a large family and the lady has lots of friends. The arrangement works well, and Communities 1st have made the process very easy. I speak to the girls in the office most weeks. They usually ring me. They’re very helpful.”
A privilege to support the Afghan refugees
When Communities 1st put out a call for volunteers to help the Afghan refugees, Linda was quick to help. “It was a privilege to meet some of the families. When they arrived, they had so little, they were living in hotels, and usually spoke little English. But they were friendly and so nice.” Linda would accompany our volunteer drivers and take the families on outings – including to local parks, activity centres, and other attractions. “I often felt very sorry for the families because it so often seemed to rain! Dreadful! They weren’t used to our weather.” When Linda accompanied them to the swimming pool, getting wet didn’t seem to matter!
Linda remembers one occasion when she accompanied several families on the bus to the GP. One mother had five children, including a newly born baby of about five weeks. She gave Linda the baby to hold. This made an impression on Linda because she felt the mother trusted her. She also thought that the mother knew that she would enjoy holding the baby.
In her time. Linda has worked as a volunteer in a school and helped listen to the children’s reading. She told me that she would have enjoyed hearing the Afghan children read in their schools.
Linda concluded that “we are very blessed with the people that we have coming into our country. It is good to learn about their cultures.”
Linda derives many benefits from volunteering
Having spoken with Linda, I appreciate that she is a very busy lady. She has six grandchildren and family who live in the southwest who she likes to visit. She enjoys gardening. One morning a week, outside of Communities 1st, she volunteers with a mother and toddler group. And then there is Spot the dog who takes Linda for walkies on a regular basis. We’re grateful that Linda incorporates Communities 1st volunteering into her busy life. I think she almost takes what she does for granted, as for her it is simply the right thing to do. But we don’t take this significant contribution for granted. Yes, people like Linda will derive large benefits from volunteering, but Communities 1st knows that without the Lindas of this world the community would be a much poorer place.
*Not her real name.
Written by: Chris Cloke, Communities 1st Volunteer