Volunteering means so many things to so many different people. It may be visiting your neighbour every week for a chat, giving your time to a local community group or working on a grand project that benefits many. It could be giving your time as and when to the local charity shop, doing some graphics for a nearby event or collecting donations for a charity raffle. Volunteering your time, your skills and your services is a fantastic thing to do and can have a massive impact on everyone. It truly is a valuable thing and something many of us wish we could do more of. The feeling of giving back is fantastic, knowing that you have been able to help a project, a group, a loved one, is a beautiful feeling. What does volunteering mean to you?
For me, volunteering was a lifeline.
It saved me from one of the hardest moments I had experienced and helped me get back to who I wanted to be. Volunteering gave me my life back and opened doors I didn’t even know were available to me.
In 2019 I was unwell. I had severe polycystic ovary syndrome and endometriosis causing constant, unwavering pain, sickness, migraines, fatigue, low mood and more. I was getting worse by the week and my only option was to take painkillers, anti-depressants and try my best to be resilient whilst waiting for surgery. The NHS waiting lists were long and I was aware the road ahead was even longer. I had tried my best to keep going to work, to keep functioning, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to lead a normal life. I got signed off from my job as a postwoman as I was no longer able to walk without pain. I couldn’t lift the heavy bags without sickness and the migraines and low mood meant I was unable to complete office roles. Once covid hit all surgeries were paused and I had no end in sight. I was made ‘medically redundant’ in 2020 at the ripe old age of 28. I was devastated.
Having suffered with my mental health since the age of 12, this caused a massive wave of mental health issues. I was mourning the loss of my life in some senses. The pandemic was in full force and I had already been stuck at home for a year previous. I had lost my job and I had no clear way of getting out of it. Having my husband (then Fiancé) home during lock downs kept me going, but I needed help and quickly. We discussed all our options with the GP, and we found a private route we could go down using my redundancy pay. The fear of using the money was massive. What if the operations didn’t work and I don’t get well and I can’t get a job? I was scared to use the money for my health because I needed it to live on too. There were so many terrifying things to consider but all I knew is I needed to do something, and I needed to do it NOW.
In October 2020 I had extensive surgery and started on the road to recovery. By December I was bouncing off the walls with newfound energy. I was feeling better than I had done in years but I had no job, no outlet for my new found wellness.
That’s when volunteering came into my life.
I saw a post on social media asking for volunteers at the local covid vaccine centre. It was early December 2020, the vaccines were being rushed out and people were scrabbling to get centres set up and ready to start vaccinating the most vulnerable people in our community. It was the closest thing to a cartoon ‘lightbulb moment’ I have ever had. I remember shouting “YES” out loud at my phone screen. This is something I could do! I contacted Unity in Andover who were organising the volunteer effort and I joined the team from the very beginning.
It was an amazing experience, walking into the centre for the first time, with a group of strangers all eager to do their bit. To fight the endless feeling of worry and hopelessness the pandemic pushed upon us. These people were from all walks of life, different backgrounds, ages, you name it. We were all united as instant friends (some even came to my wedding in 2021!). We were all there for one reason and that reason, that desire to help, made us a force to be reckoned with. Unity had over 700 applicants for volunteers. That number blew me away and I felt very lucky that I was able to be there with these incredible people.
I volunteered at the vaccination centre solidly from December to May. It was my lifeline, it was my way back into the real world. It helped to wash away my anxieties, I made new friends, new connections and was able to get back in to the ‘working world’. My sleeping pattern improved because I had somewhere to be, people to see, important things to do for the first time since I had become ill! It was the turning point in my life. From there I got job at one of the local GP surgeries running their vaccine roll out and I got a Saturday job with Unity that I still have at the age of (almost) 31. From there I started to explore my newfound love for the VCSE sector and here I am, 2 years later, working for Action Hampshire in a sector I didn’t even know I was able to work in.
Volunteering not only gave me my life back, but it showed me that there are so many jobs out there, and if you find what you love, you can find a job that fits. I love this sector and I am truly passionate about the work AH and all the voluntary, charity and social enterprises do. These organisations enrich the lives of the people they are supporting but they also create opportunities for their volunteers, and that’s a beautiful thing. I cannot imagine my life without this experience. I think we all, within the sector at some time or another, forget that our volunteers can gain as much as they give when they offer their time to our causes. Everyone has their own story and their own reasons and supporting those who support us can only be a benefit. Volunteering has the power to change lives. It changed mine.
