Case Studies

The difference being a volunteer has made to my life

For the past ten years I have been a full time carer looking after my elderly and disabled parents.

I gave up full time employment as a marketing communications manager in 2000 to become a full-time carer for my disabled father who had MS and Alzheimer's.  Since his death in 2005, I continued to care for my elderly mother who is also disabled and cannot be left for any length of time.  With the realisation that my time as her carer is limited due to her age and general health, I was questioning my ability to return to the workplace and find a well paid job to enable me to meet my financial commitments.  Having been out of marketing for a decade, my fear was that I would no longer have the necessary skills to meet employers' needs in the 21^st century.

Having contacted the Cheltenham Volunteer Centre in summer 2010, I was delighted to get involved with two local Cheltenham based charities assisting with their marketing and PR.  I was pleased to find that I still had the right skills to do the job and have made a wide number of contacts in a variety of organisations both locally and nationally.  My confidence levels have been boosted enormously and it is most rewarding to know that what you are doing will help the charity move forward and develop.

If you are questioning whether volunteering is right for you, I certainly recommend it.  Now I know that when the time comes for me to look for paid employment, I have an update curriculum vitae and testimonials from the charities for who I am working.

I never thought volunteering would be so rewarding

I had no idea that my involvement in the Snapper (volunteer photography) project would help me to develop my skills as a photographer to such an extent as it has. Although I'm studying photography I have limited opportunities to take photographs of real people and this project has really opened my eyes to the range and variety of volunteering placements that are available in Gloucestershire.

My confidence has grown beyond recognition and I have picked up so many tips along the way. I have enjoyed working with people of all ages and representing young people in a positive light. I am really excited at spending three months working with County Community Projects to capture the life of a homeless young person using photography. Knowing my photographs have been used to recruit other volunteers has given me a real feeling of putting something back into the community.

I intend to continue with the project until I return to Ireland in September and in the meantime I will help the Snapper co-ordinator recruit more people like me to take over the reins when I'm no longer involved. I never thought volunteering would be so rewarding.