This year’s National Volunteer’s Week has been very different for many charities and organisations. Usually, there would be events to attend like Voluntary Action Leicester’s celebration to thank and recruit volunteers. At Life Links we would celebrate by going for a meal to show our gratitude but we have had to be creative this year. Now more than ever, volunteers have adapted in the face of uncertainty and stepped up to adjust their ways of working to meet the need of supporting the community. To celebrate our volunteer’s fantastic work we decided on a Zoom Quiz! Quiz rounds included; general knowledge, information about the volunteers, and the service. It was brilliant to see our volunteering team celebrate virtually!
Shannon, Volunteer Coordinator, said “On behalf of the Life Links Team, I want to say a huge thank you to our volunteers. Throughout the year they show enthusiasm and passion for their role. It is truly inspiring to see a team come together and adapt to the circumstances we are in. We have adapted the way we facilitate peer groups, deliver workshops and general remote working and volunteers have been with us every step of the way. They provide a much needed service and we are very grateful.”
We also asked our volunteers to tell us about their volunteering journeys;
“I have been volunteering for Life Links for around 9 months now and I’m struggling to summarise my experience in just a few words! My volunteering journey with Life Links was above and beyond what I expected and what I have experienced in other volunteering roles. Through Life Links I can now confidently communicate to those in need of psychological help from working on their information line, become accustomed to public speaking after co-running psycho-educational workshops on topics including ‘managing anxiety’ while also improving my ability to be a support worker, through the development and facilitation of a student support group, which Life Links helped me blossom. Life Links has improved my professional and personal abilities and I would like to thank Shannon, Farhnaz, Kaseem and all the other members of staff for their constant passion for their jobs” – Anna Gilbert, Volunteer
“My Journey with RF Life links began in May 2018 after receiving support for my mental health. I became a volunteer in December 2018. In January 2019 I started a monthly Peer Group, “History of Leicester peer Group.” We put this together for people to help them communicate together. I now also co-facilitate a 2nd Peer Support Group Men’s Group. I work on the Information line navigating clients to appropriate services and support the RF team.
I get so much from Volunteering. I am humbled to help clients who need it in hard times and listening to clients with care. It a great feeling to be a part of the clients journey. Let’s not forget the Richmond Fellowship team. We all work as one and help to make a difference to people’s lives when they most need it. It’s the best feeling in the world. Volunteering has changed my life or should I say it is a big part of life. I have now completed more than 600 hours volunteering for Life Links” – Steve Hall, Volunteer
“When volunteering in the mental health sector, you get as much as you give. My time at Life Links so far has been brief but so rewarding. Every week, I get to join together with people of different ages, from different walks of life and hear about their experiences, both good and bad. As a 19-year-old female, the experience of talking to men ages 40+ about coping with mental health issues has been invaluable. I am now more informed; I see the world differently and have been able to take the experiences of others as life lessons of my own. Volunteering has shown me that all people, regardless of; age, race, gender, and ethnicity have and continue to suffer – we come together to help and build each other up, to erase the stigma around mental health. Most people go into mental health hoping to make a difference to others, what they don’t realise is the great difference the people you volunteer with will make to you. “ – Lucy Chilton, Volunteer
‘’Being a volunteer at Richmond Fellowship is very rewarding. The greatest reward knows that I am able to offer support and advice to those who may need it the most, which in turn, could change their life and wellbeing. As a volunteer, I work on the information line; taking referrals from clients, navigating and signposting them to other relevant services. I am looking forward to going back into the office and being able to invest more time into being a part of workshops and charity events’’ – Mariam Ghari, Volunteer
“I began volunteering in order to help others. As well as add to my understanding of how individuals experiencing difficulties interact with everyday life and how these difficulties vary with each person.
As a new volunteer for Leicester life links I have had the opportunity to shadow different support groups which has made me realise how impactful these groups are in the client’s life. So far it has been a very rewarding and insightful experience as I have been able to learn new skills as well as implement these skills in the support sessions. Leicester Life links has still been able to carry on supporting clients by adapting despite the current situation. So therefore session is now carried on Zoom which has been beneficial as the clients can still feel supported and not forgotten. Overall, am looking forward to be able to run workshop sessions that’s informative and helpful to the clients.” – Faith Owolabi, Volunteer
