GAVIN: “HATS OFF TO LOCAL VOLUNTEERS”
June 6, 2016Paisley First Project Leader Job Advert
June 6, 2016
This year during Volunteers’ Week Contact the Elderly wants to take the opportunity to thank its volunteers and acknowledge that due to their support the charity now has more than 100 groups across Scotland with fur across Renfrewshire.
Volunteers’ Week is an annual event which takes place from 1st to 12th June. It celebrates the contribution made by millions of volunteers across the UK and Contact the Elderly knows just how important these people are, acting as the backbone of the charity.
Contact the Elderly provides tea, cake but, most importantly, company to people aged 75 and over who live alone through free monthly Sunday afternoon tea parties. These parties are operated entirely by volunteers who act as hosts for the older guests and their drivers, who take them from their front door, to the volunteer’s home, and back again.
Caroline McGinlay, Scotland Volunteer Support Officer at Contact the Elderly, said:
“We never take our volunteers for granted as without them the charity wouldn’t exist. However, during Volunteers’ Week, it is only right that we take a moment to thank them for all they do.
“You only need to ask a guest what their afternoon out means to them to understand how incredible our volunteers are. The time they donate simply doesn’t reflect what it brings to the lives of our guests.
“We are over the moon to be able to say that we now have more than 100 groups across Scotland and it is all down to our volunteer’s support. Thank you to everyone that offers up their time to make one afternoon a month special for so many people.”
Across Scotland, Contact the Elderly supports more than 1,000 older people through its network of more than 1,100 volunteers and is always looking for volunteer drivers and hosts for local groups.
Laura Brown, 25, has been a deputy coordinator for the charity for two years. She said:
“I really enjoy volunteering with Contact the Elderly. We always have such a lovely afternoon together and there’s never a lull in conversation, not even for a minute.
“Through our tea parties the label of ‘older person’ is stripped away and you come to see that beneath it all there’s just a ‘person’ with life experience, funny stories and empathy. It deepens your understanding of the challenges some older people face and what you can do to help.”
To find out how to volunteer with Contact the Elderly or if you would like to enquire about becoming a guest please contact Caroline McGinlay on 0141 812 1555 or caroline.mcginlay@contact-the-elderly.org.uk.
