4th Jun 2021 - Written by Katy Westaway
Reading time: 3 minutes
During the pandemic, many of our volunteers were unable to join us in our sites as usual. We wanted to highlight the contributions of some of our wonderful volunteers at Collier Gardens who have been thoroughly missed by tenants and staff alike, and who we are delighted to have back.
Gill, John, and Colin volunteered with us at Collier Gardens before the pandemic, and are now starting to return as restrictions ease and more volunteering becomes possible. We caught up with them about their volunteering, and how they feel about coming back.
Gill has been helping with the gardening club since 2018, she said:
I really enjoy it, I’m a keen gardener so it’s combining my hobby with doing something worthwhile. We’re making the area nice for the residents to enjoy. We won the Brunelcare in Bloom competition a couple of times!
John does the music club on Thursdays, playing old time music. He said:
I love volunteering at Brunelcare and I’m looking forward to coming back!
Colin has been running the Bingo for a few years. He said:
I had a great reception when I went back and I’ve missed being there. I was a bit dubious about going back but glad to be there.
We’ve had some fantastic feedback from our colleagues at Colliers. Julie, the manager said:
Our volunteers are invaluable. We’ve missed them terribly, the tenants have missed them terribly. They are really, really important to us.
The tenants absolutely love Colin. Colin and Linda help with the fetes and raffles. He’s so gentle and understanding. Gill is so patient, she spends one to one time with tenants and it can be a really soothing time for people who need the additional support. John – he’s just John, he’s a delight! He’s also our Father Christmas.
The volunteers support all of our residents with various activities, and the positive impact this has for both residents and staff is greatly admired and appreciated! We spoke with Derinda at Colliers, who described Gill as
Kind and caring and very helpful in the garden. She takes the time to sit and have one to one involvement with the tenants. The gardening group would be lost without her.
Equally, Sarah, another colleague who works with Colin, described how he gets stuck into everything and always
Puts a smile on everyone’s faces!
We would like to give a big thank you to our volunteers at Colliers and elsewhere for your continued support – you are fantastic and we are so looking forward to having you all back!
If you are interested in volunteering and would like to make a positive difference to someone’s life, we offer a variety of roles to suit everyone. Please click here for more information.
brunelcare.org.uk/volunteering