Thank you to our volunteers

To celebrate Volunteers' Week, we're highlighting the stories of two of Age UK Shropshire Telford & Wrekin's longest serving volunteers.

Our volunteers make a positive impact on many lives, but they also tell us that they find it very rewarding to help older people in their neighbourhood or surrounding area.

Ruth and Steven are two of our longest serving volunteers and we asked them about how they began supporting us, what they do to support older people and why they’ve continued to do so for many years.

Ruth, a volunteer at Reabrook Day Centre, Shrewsbury

Ruth, pictured above, has been volunteering for Age UK Shropshire Telford & Wrekin since April 1987, after responding to an advert in the Shrewsbury Chronicle.

Ruth was part of the congregation at Belle Vue Methodist Church and she and a small group that were also regular worshippers contacted us to learn more about how they could help provide our services.

Between 1991 and 2002, Ruth drove the bus transporting members to Reabrook Day Centre at the Seabury Close Community Centre in Shrewsbury. She is now older than some of the other members that attend the day centre but continues to help out with a variety of tasks whenever needed.

Ruth said: “I enjoy being with other people and the day centre gives you a sense of companionship every week. I know that the volunteers and staff make a real difference to the lives of local people, and I find it very rewarding to be part of that.”

Steven, a volunteer befriender in Shifnal

Steven has been a befriender volunteer for Age UK Shropshire Telford & Wrekin for the past 25 years.

Steven began being matched with older people in Shifnal, and occasionally Albrighton, when he was in his mid-forties. He was working flexible hours as a civil servant and started visiting older people to provide companionship and sometimes take them for a short walk around town or the surrounding countryside.

“I had lived in Shifnal most of my life and reached a stage where I really wanted to give something back to the local community,” said Steven. “My motivation in becoming a befriender was to support people that are lonely, by helping them to live independently in their own home for as long as possible.”

During the coronavirus pandemic Steven was unable to continue his visits due to the government’s restrictions on social mixing. However, he was determined to keep in touch with the person he befriends and wrote her a lengthy letter each week.

Steven believes that it's important as a befriender to be a good listener but also to be able to initiate an interesting conversation. He enjoys hearing the life stories of the people he visits and talking about shared interests or experiences.

Volunteers' Week (2–8 June) is an opportunity to celebrate volunteers and to thank them all for the amazing work they do. We’re always in need of more volunteers, so if you’d like to find out about the different roles we have available, why not pop along to our recruitment stand in the Darwin Centre, Shrewsbury on Wednesday 4 June. Alternatively, call us on 01743 233 123 or email volunteering@ageukstw.org.uk