The joy of volunteering with Age UK

To mark Volunteers Week 2010, 1 – 7 June, we caught up with a few of the many people who have volunteered with Age UK to listen to their stories and hear why they decided to get involved:

Why did you volunteer with Age UK?

Stanley Parker, 95, Market Drayton shop volunteer, 2000 – present day
‘Sadly my wife passed away and it made me consider what I could do to keep occupied. I wanted to put something back into the community, to help those less fortunate than myself and volunteering seemed the obvious choice.’

Camilla Williamson, Volunteer Parliamentary Assistant, January 2009 – March 2009
‘After volunteering for Age Concern Runnymede during university, I came to volunteer at Age UK to gain work experience in the Parliamentary Affairs team.’

John McArthur, Admin & Information Volunteer, February 2010 – March 2010
‘Having been out of work for over a year and coming from the Banking sector, my role not only gave me an insight into another, more interesting career path, but it also enabled me to get back into a proper working environment, to regain my own self-esteem and confidence and to feel valued.’

Sue Burt, 62, Age UK Harpenden shop volunteer, 1995 – present day
‘I was between jobs at the time, and was having to care for my parents. I was looking for something positive to do that was flexible and where I felt useful.’

What’s been good about volunteering for Age UK?

Oliver Stannard, copywriter volunteer, Internal Communications Team, September 2008
‘Having worked in the city for a year upon leaving university, I am thoroughly enjoying the different experience of volunteering within the not-for-profit sector. Everyone I’ve met here is really friendly and I have felt welcome and appreciated since I first stepped in the door.’

Samarah Hashmi Survey Analyst Volunteer, European and International Unit, April 2008
‘The role provided me with extremely valuable work experience, and enabled me to enhance my skills and utilise them within the right environment. I was welcomed from the onset by the whole team, and was treated as an equal member, even though I was a volunteer.’

Sue Burt
‘Seeing a customer come in and seeing that you actually can help them. Some people don’t come to shop, but for the company - just a chat sometimes.’

Camilla Williamson
‘Everyone has gone out of their way to make me feel welcome and to include me in all sorts of activities. So much time and energy has been put into making my two months here both interesting and extremely useful, and without it I would never have got the paid position that I am moving on to. I really couldn’t have had a better time. Working here has been incredible.’

What would you say to anyone thinking of volunteering for Age UK?

Jean Boxall, 74, Age UK Harpenden shop volunteer, 2009 – present day
‘I went around to some of the other shops first of all and I got the attitude, “We’ve got a waiting list, we’ll put you on our list.” And finally I got to the Age UK, they were so lovely. They made me feel so welcome. There was a really lovely welcoming feeling. I was very impressed by that.’

Samarah Hashmi
‘My time at Age UK was not only constructive, but also fun - I'd highly recommend it to anyone!’

Margaret Parker, 71, Age UK Harpenden shop volunteer, 2009 – present day
‘Go for it! It’s amazing what satisfaction you can get from it, both for yourself and the satisfaction you give to others. So if you have a cheery disposition and like meeting people, get involved!’

Interested in volunteering for Age UK?

In February, we launched an appeal for prospective volunteers to join us and deliver 1 million hours of volunteer support to Age UK this year. From January to May we received around 650,000 voluntary hours of support, meaning we need another 350,000 to reach our million hour target. With your help, we can deliver more services to people in later life.

Age UK offers a lot of volunteering opportunities all over the UK, involving everything from working in our shops, to structured internships in our London offices, with flexible hours to suit your availability. To find out more, and how you can get involved, visit our volunteering page.

• Find out more about Volunteers Week 2010