Volunteer Week: I'll do it!
Welcome to Volunteer Week. These seven days are usually when most people get that small inward slump, and realise that yet another year has gone by and they’ve not given any of their time to help others.
It’s at this point when you ask yourself wistfully “Why aren’t I just a better person?” and then you get distracted by a mildly funny meme on Instagram. I know it all too well. But in the past three months, volunteering has been seen as something that each one of us can do, rather than an activity reserved only to ‘charitable’ souls. The pandemic has forced people to think about what community - big or small - they are a part of, and what they could do to help keep others safe.
We saw it in the news. Back in March ministers had hoped to recruit 250,000 NHS volunteers and more than 750,000 signed up. I couldn’t believe it - 750,000 people!? This number outshined all the awful statistics flying around, blasting above them like a rocket full of hope. Until it changed direction, cynically approaching its way back due to the failure of the NHS Volunteer Scheme to assign tasks - the majority of volunteers are, in fact, still waiting.
Be that as it may, It doesn’t take away from the fact that so many people put up their hand and said ‘count me in’. There are, in actual facts, tonnes of grassroots organisations and local groups full of people who have not only put their hand up, but they’ve scraped their chair back and got things moving.
So who are these people and what made them decide to get up and go for it? “I think all of us felt a bit helpless when this situation arose, and I certainly wanted to feel productive. I signed up for the NHS volunteer scheme, but this was just much simpler and more direct,” said James, who is usually a Documentary Maker. He drives care home staff around south London for free, with a small organisation called ‘Transporting Care’. “The concept of trying to keep carers – who had up until that point been largely ignored – safe, and make their lives a bit easier seemed like a great idea.”
That ability to bypass the feeling of helplessness is a seriously impressive trait all the volunteers I spoke to have in common. Julie, an Organisational Consultant, is volunteering in an orthopaedic ward at the Royal Infirmary, “Within 48 hours of lockdown being announced, much of my business pipeline vanished. I’m not great at sitting around wringing my hands, and I knew the field I work in would take a while to re-establish itself...I knew I was low (ish) risk, I have no kids or vulnerable adults in the house, so I could be available where others would not be.”
You’ve probably made the decision to get involved as well, so how does it all come together? Well, unsurprisingly, it’s about being part of a great team. Alan, a retired Public Health Director for a London Council, is part of a well oiled volunteering machine in the village of Tisbury. “I got a call from a neighbour who asked if I wanted to help support our more vulnerable residents. Then about 12 people met up in the village hall (sitting two metres apart!) We talked about the type of help people would need and agreed it would mostly be people needing help getting medication and food. From that point on a telephone service was set up. A group of people answer the phones and take requests for help, which is what I do, and then the requests are passed up to the next group of people who organise the buying or collecting of what’s needed.” Alan received proper training and a timetable, which he fills with the shifts that he can do. He also regularly checks the volunteer group’s Slack, to check the progress of how everything is going. Training? Slack? This isn’t some huge charity in the big city. This is a small group in a village (or small town at a push) in Wiltshire, and they’re absolutely smashing it.'
We can’t talk about what volunteers give without mentioning what they get in return. It’s an important two-way process, and each of the volunteers I spoke to got something worthwhile back. Mark, who set up the free taxi service for carers, Transporting care, says “There’s been a range of emotions, but it has been amazing overall. It’s heart-warming and I feel I am making a (small) difference.” James, one of the taxi drivers, finds the response from the carers so positive “Everyone I’ve picked up has been incredibly chatty and friendly, even after brutally long days. They seem genuinely happy and touched that we’re giving up some time to support them.”
Being a part of a team can be hugely rewarding too. Julie has found this at the hospital, “The ward staff have been so kind and welcoming... I’ve been encouraged to ask questions and no-one has been too busy to answer. I’m really glad I’m doing it.” James K, a Sales Director for a medical company, delivers groceries to vulnerable people in his area. For him, volunteering has been a way to get insight that he didn’t have before “A disabled lady struggled to the door once and could barely pick the shopping up with her crutches tangled in her arms. I have to keep my distance when they answer the door. I guess this was just a snapshot into the life of someone who is really vulnerable, even before the pandemic. Something I wouldn’t normally witness and hope she continues to get the help she needs once this is over.”
So there we have it. Many people out there are giving their time, energy and enthusiasm to help others when they need it most. They don’t want money or recognition and are quietly changing the world. So, let’s join them! Let’s scrape our chairs back and say “I’ll do it” too.
Written by Charlotte Livingstone
Charlotte is a music obsessed south Londoner who loves dancing, crosswords, The Chase (too much) and getting out and about. She writes for a living as a Digital Content Editor and is loving being able to write for fun with The Everyday.