Volunteers’ Week 2023: that’s a wrap!
Published on: 07/06/23
To mark the end of Volunteers’ Week 2023 we celebrated with our wonderful volunteers at our specialist centre in Surrey and in our charity shops.
Here at The Children’s Trust, we are grateful to have over 1,000 volunteers who give their time to help us support children with brain injury and neurodisability. Our volunteers help in our charity shops, drive our vans, spend time with the children and young people we support and assist our office staff.
We wanted to celebrate everything they do for us, so we have spent the week shining a spotlight on individual volunteers and sharing what they do on our social media and amongst our staff. To mark the end of the week we invited our volunteers to our specialist centre in Tadworth, Surrey, for an afternoon tea.
We were delighted to be able to bring them all together, and welcomed the opportunity to say thank you in person.
Giving back
We met Maureen and Charlotte, who volunteer together as Activities Assistants. They met in 2009 when Charlotte was receiving rehabilitation at The Children’s Trust after a brain injury, and Maureen was volunteering, running weekly activities for the children.
Five years ago, they reconnected at a Children’s Trust fundraising event, and Charlotte now joins Maureen once a week to run activities and play games in one of The Children’s Trust residential houses.
Charlotte says: “Maureen came over to say hello and asked if I remembered her, I said of course I did – we all called her Monday Maureen! I wouldn’t forget someone as lovely as Maureen.”
Maureen adds: “So now it’s gone full circle and we’re both back on Oak House volunteering on a Monday evening. I’ve volunteered at The Children’s Trust for over 30 years. I’ve done various roles: fundraising, finance, volunteering in the shops... I’m a serial volunteer! When I started volunteering, I found I really enjoyed it. I was having a lot of fun and the children were fantastic. I get a lot out of it, so it’s a two-way thing.”
Charlotte tells us: “It’s so nice for me to be able to give back to other children. I’ve had a brain injury, so it’s nice for me to talk to them about what they’ve been through. It gives them hope.”
Our fabulous retail team
We also celebrated with volunteers in our charity shops around Surrey, sending an afternoon tea for them to enjoy together.
Get involved
We spoke to Stephanie, Events Volunteer, about what volunteering means to her.
Stephanie said: “I see it as a mutually beneficial relationship. The team are always really lovely, kind and appreciative, and complimentary about the value that I add, but I genuinely see it as a two-way relationship.
“I get so much from doing just a few hours a week. It is something that I look forward to and it enriches my life. Professionally there are various things that I have learnt over the years that I can take forward into my own life.
The more I learn about The Children’s Trust the more I see they do so much, but they also need so much. I think everyone has a skill that can benefit The Children’s Trust and you would also get so much out of it. So give it a go, you won’t regret it!
To find out how you can get involved visit: thechildrenstrust.org.uk/support-our-work/volunteering
