What was your situation and background before you became involved with volunteering? I was working as the Exams Officer at a high school in Leeds when I became poorly during 2013. My condition deteriorated and I was admitted to hospital and finally diagnosed in December 2013 with Neuro-sarcoidosis. Sarcoidosis is a rare anti-immune disease which is managed with steroids and other medication. Unfortunately I had to sell my house and
Touchstone Business Development Team A Journey in Coproduction (Part 1) Working Together for Equality Resource Pack A few weeks ago I attended ‘News For You’ – Touchstone’s Service User Forum. A room filled with around 20 service users, each an expert in their own right, it was wonderful, and a privilege to see how the group runs. They rotate the chair/minute taker each month, and run through the
Cha Da Cup will continue on Monday 9th January from 10.00am-12.30pm to support and provide enriched experiences to over 70’s, and the socially isolated and lonely, over 55’s. We will continue to work with partnerships and volunteer drivers to offer transport to those who are not able to access this group. This group remains free to attend, with a small charge of £2.50 to those that need help with transport.
WY-FI runs regular Peer Mentor Training, to encourage people to pass on the benefit of their experience to others who may be struggling with similar circumstances. Using their own knowledge and lived experience of local services and recovery options, WY-FI Peer Mentors support and build up mentoring relationships. Because they’ve been through similar situations to the people they’re working with, they demonstrate that recovery is possible, and therefore can give
It is important to really get to know your volunteers. This means taking time to understand what they find satisfying about volunteering and any concerns they may have about the role or the organisation. Volunteers do get bored; they have other things going on in their lives. Volunteers Project has managed to sustain volunteers for more than one year. We support our volunteers by seeking to understand them, which will help us to: Revise roles to ensure they are still relevant and valuable
I was a university student, studying accountancy but dropped out due to poor health and then worked as a security guard before joining Touchstone. I was once a service user with Touchstone and was introduced to the Touchstone volunteering course by my housing officer. I have been volunteering for two years now. I don’t visit service users but I see them in the drop-in at the Support Centre on a weekly basis. I support with emotional and practical issues. At the drop-in
One of our brilliant volunteers explains how and why she got involved and the benefits that volunteering has had for her. Before I started my volunteering with Touchstone I just had my son and was unemployed and unaware of the direction I wanted to go in life. I lacked so much confidence due to having no academic qualifications and past experiences. I really did not know what I wanted
I have been a carer for my mother, who was suffering from severe depression, for over 10 years. I came in contact with Touchstone during that time as a service user; my experience as a service user of Touchstone was exceptional. I found that they were very informative, helpful and understanding. Redundancy came up at my work place and I jumped at the opportunity. I wanted to do something in
Kirren Rathor from BBC Asian Network talks to Sikh Elders Service Staff about their work to reduce loneliness by matching volunteers with older people in the community. You can also listen to this on the BBC website.
On Friday 13th November 2015 it was International Day of Kindness. One of our IAPT colleagues Sally P has written the following piece to highlight the widespread benefits of random acts of kindness: Although on those bad days it can feel like we live in a society where people are uncaring, there has been a recent increase of individuals using social media to share examples of kindness in our society.