About volunteering

My name is Rob, and for the past five years I’ve been a Feed the Birds volunteer with Telford & Wrekin Council. What led me here was something deeply personal.

In her later years, my mum became housebound and eventually completely bedbound. I moved in with her and became her unofficial carer. Although she had professional carers visiting up to four times a day, the responsibility of being there for her around the clock was challenging and, at times, overwhelming.

One thing that made a real difference to both of us was the support of a volunteer befriender who visited regularly. Those visits didn’t just brighten my mum’s day—they gave me something just as important: a little breathing space. Knowing I could step away for an hour or two each week helped more than I can put into words.

That experience stayed with me. When the opportunity came to volunteer myself, I wanted to give something back. Joining Feed the Birds felt like the perfect fit, especially as I’ve always enjoyed birdwatching.

What I’ve loved most about volunteering are the simple moments—sharing conversations, laughter, and stories with the person I visit. We talk about everything: birds in the garden, everyday life, and sometimes even “putting the world to rights.” I’ve also had the privilege of meeting people from all walks of life, each with their own unique stories and experiences.

Not every visit is what you might expect either. Over the years, I’ve found myself successfully untangling a set of Christmas lights—and less successfully crawling around on my hands and knees searching for a missing pendant alarm!

If there’s one thing I’d say to anyone thinking about volunteering, it’s this: just do it. You’ll meet wonderful people, make a real difference, and—if you’re anything like me—you’ll enjoy every minute of it.

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.