Friday 10 February 2012
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Our volunteers give us their time for many different reasons. Here they share what motivates them to help us help more.
Neelan Santhirarajah
Neelan, a student at the London School of Economics, undertook research based volunteering assisiting our Health Informatics Service.
Neelan said: "I really enjoyed my volunteering experience with Sue Ryder. It provided me with an opportunity to meet different people and do something totally different from my degree. The people there were very friendly and always ready to help with any problems or provide bits of advice. It was good to know that the work that I was doing was actually going to be used to help the charity in the long-run, and it made the volunteering all the more interesting."
Joanne Ling
Joanne, also from LSE, volunteered with our research team.
Joanne said: "Joining Sue Ryder was definitely the right choice. I enjoyed working there greatly - the best thing was the atmosphere. All staff were very friendly and helpful. I volunteered two days a week and was mainly responsible for allocating, managing, and storing literature and statistical data regarding health issues which gave me the chance to improve my research and soft skills, such as better time management. It was a very enjoyable experience and I had a lot of fun there. I would like to visit sometime, even just to meet the staff I have worked with!"
Nigel Robb
Nigel travels twice a week to Sue Ryder - Hickleton Hall and helps out in the Recreational Therapy Unit. He works with residents spending time with them playing bingo, reading books to them and helping them in the different recreational activities organised daily.
Nigel said: “I was interested in doing something to help other people and give back something to the community. I came to visit the neurological care centre to understand which kind of services and care they were providing and I immediately felt that this was exactly what I was looking for."
Naomi Strawbridge
Naomi, 22, spends five days per week at the Wellington Sue Ryder shop serving customers, steaming donated clothes and pricing items, amongst other duties. Born with Spina Bifida and wheelchair-bound, Naomi has always had a desire to live as normal a life as possible.
Naomi says, “I’ve always been interested in volunteering. For me, it is a great way to keep active, improve my confidence and learn business skills. But most importantly, it allows me to help others.”
“Over the years I’ve gradually got to know all the customers. Through volunteering at the Wellington Sue Ryder shop, I really feel part of the local community.”
Sara Hodgkinson
Sara, 21, volunteers at the Sue Ryder shop in Ramsbottom. Sara made the decision to volunteer in a bid to build up her strength, increase her confidence and to gradually ease into ‘working life' after a long-term bout of illness. Recently Sara got a part-time job in a local delicatessen - something Sara says she wouldn't have felt able to do if not for her time at Sue Ryder. Sara still volunteers at the Ramsbottom shop for a few hours every Tuesday.
Sara said, "It's amazing - the difference of how I felt this time last year. I'd been ill for quite a while and hadn't been working. Volunteering allowed me to gradually build up my energy levels and confidence.
"I really enjoy volunteering at Sue Ryder shop. So much so, that when I got a part-time job I decided to continue to help out as much as I could. I would recommend volunteering to anybody."