Volunteer Stories

Laurence – Oldham Volunteer

I have been volunteering at Oldham for approximately 3 years. People say volunteers don’t get paid, I disagree with that. The reward of helping and supporting others is of far greater value. The clients especially look at you as a friend rather than a person paid to do the job, an equal as apposed to an authority.

If you want to get paid employment in this field, starting off as a volunteer gives you so much experience and understanding of the organisation. Many of my fellow volunteers have gone on to gain paid employment.

Ron – Bennett House Volunteer

The reason I started volunteering was recommendation by the staff. I decided to take on the challenge and have been volunteering for approximately 1 year. I feel that it has given me the confidence to start thinking about other opportunities that are available, maybe going to college and getting more education in this field. I do many roles at Bennett House including co-facilitating groups such as the DVD group, where a DVD is shown related to alcohol and substance misuse and then we have an open discussion about what the groups reaction is and why.

Volunteering at Bennett House is a big eye opener for me in the sense that I have now seen it from both sides of the fence, as a client and as a professional. I really value the educational work done at Bennett House and it has definitely helped with my personal development and made me think about my future growth.

John – Cumbria Volunteer

I wanted to start volunteering with ADS after deciding I wanted a change in career. I had been a service user 2 years prior to starting volunteering so had first hand experience of how useful and beneficial such services can be to clients and their families. After my initial volunteer training with ADS Cumbria I started helping out in the office and sat in on groups and workshops gaining experience and learning from the other ADS staff.

I really enjoy working in groups and workshops with clients from all kinds of backgrounds brought together for a joint cause towards recovery. The subjects we cover within groups are wide ranging and help service users come to deal with their individual needs within a group setting.

The on-going training I receive from ADS is second to none and working alongside experienced practitioners really helps me with my personal development as a substance misuse worker.