Like many charities, Staywell relies on volunteers to help us deliver our ten local services. Also, like many charities, we’ve seen a decline in volunteer numbers since the pandemic – at a time when older people are more in need of our services than ever before. As we approach Christmas, some of our volunteers share why they choose to give their time. Next in our series is Rosa.

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Hi there!

I'm Rosa and have recently started volunteering with Staywell in the day centre at Raleigh House and as a befriender.

I retired last year and previously volunteered at a school in London. I then decided I wanted to support those at the other end of the generation scale and started to look for something local to me. It was in fact my GP surgery who recommended Staywell and after getting in touch with Shaheena, the Volunteer Coordinator I knew I was in good hands!

Laughter

Although I have only been with Staywell for four months, I have really enjoyed every moment interacting with everyone, whether it be staff, other volunteers but most importantly the clients they support. I volunteer weekly at Raleigh House which is a lovely day centre full of life and laughter. Everyone has been so helpful showing me the ropes and making me feel more at ease so that I can best support the people who attend.

Accomplishment

The tasks are varied from helping at mealtimes, playing games and assisting with various activities. I recall a funny incident when I was playing Scrabble with a lovely gentleman and I decided to let him win so he could announce to all his friends at the day centre that he had beaten me! It was worth it just to see the happiness and sense of accomplishment on his face.

As it's only an hour a week I also agreed to become an In Touch volunteer where I call and visit a local lady who has been struggling at home, feeling isolated as she is not able to get out much. I know there are lots of people like her in the area who would really benefit from having someone to talk to. It turns out I have a lot in common with this lady as we both came to settle in the UK from abroad and it's been nice to share experiences. We are both very chatty so I always have to keep an eye on the clock as we can go on talking for hours!

I really enjoy my time at Staywell and would definitely recommend it to anyone who is able to commit some time to helping others. I get so much satisfaction from seeing others happy and it's so lovely to be appreciated both by the staff and clients. I look forward to more happy times at Staywell!

Join us

Inspired by Rosa's story? Find out more about volunteering with Staywell. Find out more about Raleigh House and our In Touch service.