Volunteers Week 1-7th June

It’s National Volunteers Week! 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.

So 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 many volunteers dedicating their time to many different projects with us, 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.

Carmen’s volunteering story

Carmen, our Communications and Engagement Assistant, speaks to us about how volunteering as our Social Media Volunteer back in 2021-2022 led to her working full time for Care for the Carers.

How did you start volunteering with Care for the Carers?

I had just graduated from university and settled into my first job as part of the admin team for a financial services company. I had volunteered for a couple of charities while I was a student, so I was looking for something similar to do alongside my job.

I found the listing for a Social Media Volunteer for Care for the Carers on Uckfield Volunteer Centre’s website. I had been looking for work in Communications and had worked as a Social Media Intern for my department’s careers team at university, so I decided to get in touch, as it would perfectly combine volunteering with work experience.

What did you do in your volunteer role?

I worked with the Communications Officer to create content for Care for the Carers’ social media platforms – Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Everything for social media was done remotely, and I would spend around 3 hours a week, typically in the evenings, preparing and scheduling the content.

I got to learn about how the charity works to support unpaid carers through our ‘Think Carer’ Training that is offered to volunteers and professionals working with carers in East Sussex.

I hadn’t had much experience of caring before this – no one in my family was a carer, and while someone I’d known at school had been a young carer, I never understood what impact that might have had on them or how different their daily life had been to mine. But as a volunteer I got to find out about carers and tailor Care for the Carers’ social media content to suit their interests and where they needed support.

This time last year, I even had the opportunity to interview another volunteer for Volunteers Week, which you can read here.

What’s something that surprised you during your time volunteering?                                                                                                                                                                                         

The genuine passion everyone has for their roles and for supporting unpaid carers. From speaking to staff, other volunteers and even having the pleasure to meet carers in person at the 2022 Carers Voices Conference, the amazing work carers do has motivated me to support the charity through its social media and communications as best I can.

I also never imagined volunteering would lead me to a job in an area I love. I was offered the chance to apply for a paid role and it’s all been a fantastic learning curve from there.

What advice would you give to someone who is thinking of joining us as a volunteer? 

I would always encourage someone to volunteer with us, no matter your age or background. The team of volunteers are so friendly, and there’s roles available in many more areas than people might think.

Carers in Touch volunteers support carers over the phone, having regular calls with them to lend an ear. Events Volunteers get to come along to our stalls and events to meet carers and help spread the word about our services. Then there’s Young Carers Volunteers, who get to support the young people we work with, which is a whole lot of fun.

Even a couple of hours a month can make a difference and feel worthwhile, and who knows where it could lead you?

Thank you to Carmen for sharing this story.

Volunteer with us

We want to say a huge thank you to Carmen and all of our volunteers for giving their time and skills and supporting carers. If you’re interested in volunteering with us, we have a range of roles you may be interested in. You can learn more here or contact us for further information on info@cftc.org.uk

If you feel inspired to volunteer with us please contact Nicola Manning, Volunteer Coordinator 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, Young Carers Activities and Events.