In January this year we achieved and renewed our Investing in Volunteers accreditation.  As we are currently celebrating Volunteers Week, we wanted to share some of the comments our volunteers made during the assessment.

Volunteers spoke very positively about their contribution to Carers Leeds and expressed how volunteering has huge benefits for them, the organisation and service users. Here are a few of their comments.

“It’s the first time I have done something unpaid, it’s an enriching experience that’s showing me different aspects of other people’s lives”.

“I can’t tell you what a huge benefit it has been to me – they are such a fantastic organisation”.

“It’s been a lifeline for me. My husband died which left a big gap. I am an admin volunteer now and at 84 it’s amazing to feel as if you can do something, there’s so much care and companionship here – it’s like another family to me”.

“It’s so good to be involved with something that’s outside of your normal life, I’ve made long-lasting friendships, there’s a great social side too – I feel very proud to volunteer for such an organisation”.

“You get a break from your own caring responsibilities, talk about different problems and get lots of advice from other volunteers too”.

“Volunteering gives me a purpose in my day, it’s one of the highlights of my week”.

“I feel fantastic, you wouldn’t recognise me now from when I first started volunteering – volunteering really does improve your health and wellbeing, and your mental health, amazing.”

“As a volunteer befriender I think that it’s great that people ‘open up’ to me, it’s a privilege, builds their confidence and mine too – definitely a two-way process, very powerful”.

Inspirational words from an incredible bunch of people! Thank you to all of our volunteers, past and present for everything you do to support Carers Leeds. For more information about volunteering with us, please visit our volunteer page.