As we head into some tricky winter months, with pressure on finances, many people still struggling with long term health issues and uncertainty around what the next 12 months holds, looking after our wellbeing has never been more important.

Yes, we are all passionate about the positive impact of volunteering here but also lucky enough to hear the many stories of the powerful impact volunteering has had on the lives of people we support.

From Sophie, previously a Mencap Volunteeer: "Epilepsy can be very unpredictable leading to a lot of sick days, so I decided that I needed more flexibility to help adapt to my condition. I found VCG had an abundance of opportunities and I found Greenwich Mencap, as cliché as it sounds, I was eager to make a difference alongside likeminded people (little did I know they’d make a difference to me!) and I'm now a paid support worker.  I completely fell into this line of work and I fell in love with it and would recommend anyone to try new things via voluntary work. 

From one of our Volunteer Mentors: "Improving my mentee’s confidence and helping him belief in himself made me feel more confident about myself too" 

From Sam, a Digital Communications Volunteer: “Personally I enjoy volunteering as it makes me learn new skills which could be beneficial for me later in life and also it increases my confidence and helps me to make new friends as well.”

A study published by Berkley University in 2020 from over 70,000 UK people into the impacts on volunteering and mental health found that people who were volunteering once a month reported better mental health outcomes than those who volunteered infrequently or not at all (How Volunteering Can Help Your Mental Health (berkeley.edu).

Researchers also found that regardless of your level of happiness before you begin volunteering, volunteering always had a positive impact.  At this point you might be asking, but why?

As our quotes above suggest, volunteering comes with:

• a lovely warm glow, who doesn't feel good when they share a bit of kindness? Rangan Chatterjee (a UK doctor) says that these acts of kindness send signals to your brain that life is good, switching it from unhealthy thoughts to healthy ones;
• a good dollop of social connection, many of our volunteering roles are based in charity shops, or community projects where you'll be alongside like-minded people all working to help our community
• a chance to try out new skills, whether this is building; interpersonal skills or taking on a new role, all of these things help to boost our level of confidence and self-worth.
  
  

Ready to give it a try?
Our friendly team is here to support you along the way, give us a call on 020 8317 3817 or drop us an email [email protected] or sign up to search for our live opportunities on our website I want to volunteer | Volunteer Centre Greenwich (vcgreenwich.org.uk)

If you'd like to come and have a chat to us, we host weekly walking groups
Our Thursday one is in Woolwich leaving from Equitable House at 10am-11.30, drop us a line [email protected] so we know to expect you

Image by Chu Viết Đôn from Pixabay