About volunteering

We visit an elderly lady who doesn’t see many people within a week, the common ground is feeding the birds, however it’s a lovely hour well spent chatting, playing and catching up after over time building a friendly relationship.

I am currently on maternity leave, have always been keen to volunteer and felt this was the perfect opportunity to invest quality time into volunteering.

Volunteering leaves me with a feeling of fulfilment and knowing that Florence and I are benefiting someone else life. Seeing the vast improvement in Freda who suffers with dementia, depression and anxiety is outstanding, over time we have built a great relationship and the admiration Freda has for Florence is wonderful. I also look forward to explaining to Florence when she is old enough to understand that we both used to volunteer. Hopefully it will help install good morals, a positive outlook and influence with the way Florence views others.

I’ve been volunteering for just over a year now for A Better Tomorrow, an addiction recovery service for people with alcohol and drug problems.

I lead on the Mentoring, Mindfulness Art Group and Cooking Group. The cooking group is made up of 4 lads who meet once a week learning basic skills cooking from scratch bonding together eating healthy which is very important for recovery. It is a great opportunity to talk and open up about anything, especially about talking about problems in safe environment.

I was once a successful business man who had a bit of bad luck and so was in need of help and support. A Better Tomorrow offered me this and helped me turn my life around.

As part of the group it felt natural to grow and do volunteering and put back into the group what I had got out of it. The great thing is to see the lad’s progress from how they come into the project to how they grow with confidence within it.

There is no other place like A Better Tomorrow, I know it works as I have been on the journey too. Being a part and having a passion for volunteering, helping others and giving back, you will get a lot out of it, it is well worth doing. It is a great opportunity if you have any spare time to learn new things

We are the Telford and Wrekin Young People’s Forum, and we have been established for a number of years and we meet every two weeks at The Wakes in Oakengates.

Through meetings and consultation, working with agencies and partnerships we aim to influence change and development of services for young people.  

We work alongside the UK Youth Parliament on regional and national campaigns with the elected Member of Youth Parliament.

We enjoy our meetings, making a difference, sharing points of view, having our say and shaping young minds and futures across Telford.
Volunteering with the group enhances our CV's by giving us experience and opportunity and confidence of working together and this makes us, stand out from the crowd.

“Volunteering with YPF and as a Member of Youth Parliament has genuinely shaped who I am. Speaking in the House of Commons about votes at 16 was a huge honour. Standing up for something I believe in, in such a historic space, was unforgettable. The buzz of excitement I felt as I stood at that despatch box is something I can’t describe in words, and that’s something I will always be eternally grateful to YPF for.

Through the joys of YouthCon and making lifelong friends, to the informal but passionate discussions about real-world and local issues, I’ve enjoyed every moment of it. Being part of this community has given me confidence, connection, and a real sense of purpose. It’s shown me the power of youth voice and how volunteering can open doors, build lasting bonds, and truly make a difference.” Austin Jijo, Member of YPF/UKYP from March 2024.