It’s National Volunteers Week! 2nd – 8th June 2025
This annual celebration is an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the contribution of all those who dedicate their time to volunteer. Volunteering can provide a chance to meet new people, learn new valuable skills, boost confidence and of course help others.
We want to extend a big thank to all our wonderful volunteers for their time and commitment volunteering with Care for the Carers. We greatly appreciate and value all your support.
We have volunteers dedicating their time to many different projects, including Carers in Touch, Young Carers project, Events volunteers, Wellbeing Hosts and volunteer Counsellors. These volunteers reach hundreds of carers throughout East Sussex each year. Without our volunteers, we wouldn’t be able to reach and support as many carers as we do.
Here is Mike’s volunteer story with us.
Carers in Touch is a programme staffed by volunteers that provides a telephone service for unpaid carers who are at risk of isolation, offering informal and friendly chats to remind them they are not alone and offer support. A flexible role, volunteers are asked to offer 2 hours of their time each week to be a listening ear. Mike, a Carers in Touch volunteer, has been doing this role for one year. Thanks to Mike’s previous experience working as a support worker for people with learning disabilities, he was able to put his existing knowledge and skills to good use. Mike believes that it can be helpful to have some specialist knowledge for this role, but it is not vital; what really counts is being empathetic.
“I was motivated to start volunteering because I had recently retired and wanted to use some of my time to keep in touch with people who needed support in one way or another. I had always enjoyed this aspect of my full-time work and was keen to continue it.”
After struggling to find a role that would suit him and utilise his skills he came across Care for the Carers and was impressed by the welcome and ease of getting settled into the role.
“My first contact was with the Volunteer Co-ordinator, who could not have been more helpful and answered some of the many questions I had, confirming all the things that I’d hoped the role would encompass. The fact that it was based in the neighbouring county of East Sussex was not an issue, as the role that I have is home based telephone work. After being accepted I received many interesting and informative details about the various aspects of support that Care for the Carers offers, followed by comprehensive training and discussions with the Carers Centre Team Leader, who could not do enough to help me feel part of the team.”
Not only is the role straightforward to get into, but there is also always help and support available to volunteers from the Care for the Carers team.
“The initial phone calls are supported by our Team Leader, and we only start when comfortable to be able to make calls and log them. There is always a Team Leader or similar who is online and immediately contactable during the shift for a chat and debrief if needed. The carers we talk to are invariably happy to hear from us and it really does serve a hugely worthwhile purpose.”
When asked what he gets out of this volunteer role, Mike stated:
“I have gained great satisfaction in this role knowing how often it can be invaluable to people who really appreciate a call. It’s also good to be able to work with like-minded Volunteers who are all, as you might guess, lovely caring people! Volunteering in a role we are happy with is excellent for giving meaningful focus, and for our mental health. I would recommend it to everyone who is able to spare some time.”
Volunteer with us
If you feel inspired to volunteer with us, please contact Nicola on 01323 738390 ext. 409 or email nicolam@cftc.org.uk to find out more about our volunteering roles.
We are currently looking to recruit volunteers for our Carers in Touch project and Young Carers group. Visit our Volunteer Opportunities page
