Angela's Story

Angela Betteridge chats with Roz Wyllie, our Head of Engagement, on why she enjoys volunteering for Age UK Hertfordshire.

Angela is a volunteer for our Information & Advice Service (I&A) and has been volunteering for us for just over two years.

Why did you decide to volunteer for Age UK Hertfordshire?

I responded to a Twitter call out for new people to support with IT training in the community. At the time I was also volunteering at my local surgery with Social Prescribing but had spare hours as a retired 'lady of leisure' and hoped it would be an interesting and helpful role.

Tell my a little bit about your background?

I retired in 2013 having spent 20 years in primary education and prior to that I worked in marketing, full time before I had my children and then part-time in the training department for a large food retailing company. This is when I first became interested in computers as we developed a database for recording training records and writing training programmes. As a teacher and later as a headteacher, keeping abreast of developments in IT was vital and something I still enjoy.

What does typical volunteering day involve?

The I&A Team I volunteer for are a lovely, cheerful, hard working bunch of people. Sometimes I help in the office at Silver Court with computer tasks to update the resources database or make phone calls to follow up Benefit Outcomes from the Action List, under Jana's skillful eye; With training from Hannah, I also take referrals to visit clients in their homes who need support to fill in Attendance Allowance Applications - a daunting document!

More recently I've made phone calls from home, firstly to answer voice mails from worried clients needing help with shopping or collection of medication and putting through new referrals and  now I’m following up Benefit Outcomes again which also gives you chance to check a client has everything they need and is keeping well during the current isolation situation.

So I am looking forward to getting back out there to help older people who are less confident, to help improve what they can do in just a few short sessions.

"There have been some more difficult calls where a client has real problems to face but knowing I can recommend other services like Befriending or InTouch and can always talk to Jana is reassuring for me."

How has your volunteering role changed during COVID-19?

At the moment, my volunteering role is limited to making calls from home from the Action list of Clients. It works both ways in that many people are glad of another person to talk to and I often end up having a good natter about the garden or the grandchildren and encourage them to share their thoughts as we all stay safe and unsure of what the future holds.

I generally spend a couple of hours on the phone at a time and that can be as many as 8 to 10 clients including updating their records or as few as 4 if I spend more time listening and chatting!

What advice would you give to someone thinking of volunteering for Age UK Hertfordshire?

I would definitely say to anyone who has a few hours to spare each week that volunteering for this amazing organisation should be something to consider. The staff are so welcoming and grateful for the help, the clients are generally relieved to have another eye or ear to support them

and I get a sense of purpose and feel useful when I get the feedback in whatever form it comes.