We are celebrating 40 years of Volunteering Week and decided to put the Whitgift Care spotlight on two of our volunteers, Jill & Ian Proctor, who both volunteer for us at Whitgift House and are core members of our Whitgift Care family, so we decided to ask them a few questions about their experiences as volunteers.
What do you enjoy most about volunteering at Whitgift House?
We thoroughly enjoy being a part of this lovely community and getting to know the residents and staff.
How often do you volunteer?
It can be 7 to 8 times a month depending on when needed to assist.
How would you describe Whitgift House?
A warm and welcoming place, run professionally and in a wonderful spot with the lovely grounds.
Favourite event/activity to attend?
The Garden party, also enjoy helping with full care and sheltered at the many events.
Best moment at Whitgift House?
Ian’s best moment was being Father Christmas last year and Jill’s was winning the bake off. Although we always enjoy being of help.
Would you recommend volunteering to others?
We would highly recommend volunteering, we have always said it is not a chore as we get more out of this experience than we give.
A very special thank you to Jill and Ian for all the help and support you have provided to us over the years!
As well as helping others, volunteering has been shown to improve volunteers’ wellbeing too.
It’s human nature to feel good after helping someone out. Volunteering can also help you gain valuable new skills and experiences, and boost your confidence.
If you’re interested in volunteering, here’s how to get started and some volunteering stories to inspire you.
- An estimated 14.2m people in the UK volunteered through a group, club or organisation in 2021/22.
- Almost one in five (16%) people report volunteering at least once a month (about 8.3m people in the UK).
- More than half of the UK population gets involved in informal volunteering – but this is less visible. Informal volunteering can involve things like going shopping, providing childcare or doing housework for free for someone who is not a relative or a friend.
Read the volunteering statistics from NCVO’s UK Civil Society Almanac 2023.
