To make sure we’re doing our job, every year we ask the people who volunteer with us to tell us what it’s done for them. Every year, we’re delighted with the responses we get.

Better physical and mental health and wellbeing. More confidence. New skills and valuable work experience. A sense of connection to others in the community. Those are just some of the things our teams say they get from giving their time.

Your service, your goals

When you’re giving your time, skills and services, you deserve to get something back. Most of our volunteers have specific reasons for what they do – we’ve shared some of them here:

Gaining new skills

Whether you’re studying, starting a career, looking for work or trying to improve your promotion prospects, volunteering can be a great way to learn and develop the skills you need, both practically and personally. We’ll offer training where it’s needed and help you find all the resource and support you need.

Making new friends

Sometimes life changes leave us a little isolated. Maybe you’ve recently moved to a new area. Perhaps you’ve lost a partner. Or you might just have lost touch with people as their circumstances change. Volunteering reconnects you with your community and helps create new friendships that keep loneliness at bay.

Mental & physical health and wellbeing

We know that keeping active, mentally as well as physically, has a powerful influence over our health and wellbeing. More than 80 per cent of our volunteers tell us the work they do has improved their mental health and sense of wellbeing. Almost half think it’s improved their physical health – not surprising when you think of the steps it takes to trundle a trolley around an entire hospital!

Giving something back

Maybe you’ve benefited from volunteering services at some time in your life, or you’ve recently had first-hand experience of the support our NHS can offer. Perhaps you just feel like you’ve been fortunate, and you’d like to share that with others. Volunteering gives you that opportunity to ‘pay it forward’ or to give something back.

Improving your confidence

Sometimes life can knock your confidence, for example losing a job or needing extended time off work. Sometimes people are just a little shy and want to improve their personal skills.

Volunteering gives you a change to find your feet in your own time and at your own pace, allowing you to build your confidence in a way that works for you.

Every individual has their own reason for volunteering and their own ideas about what it will do for them. There’s no right or wrong approach, it’s all about exploring the opportunities on offer and finding the one you know is right for you.

The most important thing about volunteering is that you should enjoy it on your own terms and that it's a rewarding experience for you, as well as for the people you help.

Content sourced from the Royal Voluntary Service (royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk).