voluntary organisations, social enterprises and volunteering
voluntary organisations, social enterprises and volunteering
Our annual volunteer Christmas lunch!
Created: 20/12/2022Today (20 December), we celebrated our volunteers with a delicious Christmas lunch consisting of traditional festive turkey tucker, raspberry cheesecake, chocolate cake, and plenty of mince pies - truly an afternoon of merriment and joy!
During the afternoon, we spent some time speaking to the volunteers about how volunteering has changed their lives and what they think about the work they do.
Check out what they had to say below:
The Open volunteers – Tom, Jeff with their wives
Tom and Jeff said volunteering The Open was the “highlight of the year” for them.
“The atmosphere was brilliant” and “Traffic organisation was fantastic.”
When asked if he would volunteer at a sporting event like The Open again, Tom said “Oh aye! I would do it again and again.”
Young volunteers – Jack, Maisie, and Max
This trio volunteered at The 150TH Open and were asked how volunteering has changed their lives:
Jack said volunteering has provided him with “leadership and communication skills”.
For Maisie, volunteering has allowed her to become “more confident” in herself.
Max, said that he enjoyed “meeting new people” and trying his hand at “new things.”
All three would “highly recommend volunteering to someone they know.”
Afghan and Ukrainian donations – Catriona and Jean
Despite describing sorting donations as at times “overwhelming” and akin to wading through “bin-bag-city”, Catriona and Jean both overall find their work as “really rewarding” and “love” what they do.
Catriona, who has helped sort donations for over a year, feels that the work makes you “appreciate what you have” and she finds strength in being “sympathetic and empathetic” to the refugees, stating that “you don’t know what they’ve gone through…until you see it”.
Jean, who has volunteered since June 22, said that helping the refugees has “opened her eyes to different cultures and approaches”.
Footcare Fife - Babs
Babs became a Footcare Fife volunteer in April 2022 after “enjoying time working with people as a nurse” and has always “worked in social care in some capacity”.
She “never ever thought about foot care” but she “really enjoys it”. She describes supporting her clients as “worthwhile” as not all of them are “older people, some are people with disabilities who can’t afford the cost of a chiropodist so they turn to Footcare for support”.
However, what she enjoys most about her role is getting to “meet all kinds of people from all walks of life” and “hear their fantastic stories.”
When asked to sum up her volunteering experience in one word, Babs said “satisfaction!”