5 great reasons to volunteer
We at Link Visiting know first-hand how crucial spending time with friends really is. We believe friendship is pretty much the answer to most of the problems we face! So, as it’s Volunteers Week, let us convince you why giving us a few hours of your time, once a week, to help an older person who would love to see your friendly face, is such a great idea!
Do good, feel great
Giving your time freely to someone or something other than yourself is one of the most rewarding things you can do. When researchers at the London School of Economics looked at the relationship between happiness and volunteering, they found that volunteers had significantly increased levels of happiness. Volunteering makes people smile and builds a sense of community and empathy for others. Volunteers have lower rates of depression and improved moods. This improved happiness pays back in ways that are hard to measure.
Learn new skills
When was the last time you learnt a new skill? You don’t need any particular qualifications or experience to volunteer with Link Visiting. In fact, volunteers often tell us how befriending has helped them develop new skills such as active listening or about living with long term conditions like dementia. We’ve seen this lead to career changes and new directions for many of our volunteers! We’ll make sure you’ve got all the support and training you need, and answer any questions you might have along the way.
Transform someone’s life
It’s amazing the difference you can make to someone’s life simply by showing up for them. Whether it’s a weekly chat over a cup of tea or taking someone out to visit the garden centre, you’ll soon become that person who makes someone’s day or week a better one.
Improve your mental health
The benefits are clear. It can help counteract the effects of stress and anxiety. It can give you a healthy boost to your self-confidence, self-esteem and life satisfaction too. You are doing good for others and the community which will give you a wonderful sense of accomplishment.
Join a community of like-minded people
We have just over 400 volunteers who love being part of our team. Volunteers say they feel supported and valued and we take individual preferences, skills, time commitments and interests into account. Most importantly, we put a big importance on having fun. If you would like to widen your social circle, volunteering for Link Visiting is an important and fun way to meet new people. If you’ve recently moved into the area, let us introduce you to new people and strengthen your ties into your local community.
We’d love to meet you!
If you have an hour or so once a week or once a fortnight to visit someone who would love some extra company, get in touch! We also run weekly and monthly activities and friendship groups. We look forward to chatting through how you could help and what you’d like to get out of your volunteering role.
About us
Loneliness is seen by many as one of the largest health concerns we face. It’s painful. It’s harmful to our bodies. It puts us at a greater risk of developing dementia, heart disease and depression. It’s so serious that it even shortens our life expectancy. And it’s on the rise in our area.
Here’s where we come in:
The Link Visiting Scheme was founded 25 years ago to help reduce loneliness amongst older people and to bring generations together in friendship and shared experiences. We offer one-to-one befriending, Friendship Groups, activities, events and long-term projects such as Community Kitchen and Link to Nature. We even provide fun and support on Christmas Day! We have seen the positive impact of friendship where we provide quality time, a listening ear and focused attention on individuals who so often feel invisible and forgotten.
For more information
Visit www.linkvisiting.org/volunteer and request a volunteer pack.
Or call our office: 0118 979019