Volunteers are the lifeblood of charities. At Tom’s Trust we have some incredible volunteers who show up again and again to support us. Some help at our fundraising events, some consult on areas of the charity, and then we have our committed group of Young Ambassadors and Trustees. All of them give their time and energy freely to further the work of Tom’s Trust.
An estimated 14.2m people in the UK volunteered through a group, club or organisation in 2021/22, and almost one in five (16%) people report volunteering at least once a month – that’s about 8.3m people in the UK*. Volunteering is well documented to bring about feelings of wellbeing, community and belonging. It can also be a great way to learn new skills that will help to advance the person’s career.
We are saying a big Thank You to all our volunteers this Volunteer’s Week (2-8 June). Offering a taster of what it is like to support Tom’s Trust; our volunteers Ella and Yasmin have shared their stories…
Ella, age 17, has volunteered for Tom’s Trust for six months. She is currently in her second year of sixth form, studying psychology, biology and geography, and is planning to go on to study psychology at university. When not studying or volunteering she loves to skydive and read murder mysteries, as well as spending time with her friends.
Ella was a key support to our fundraising team for the Cambridge half marathon, helping with the preparation – she had contact with our runners and made sure that they all had their running vests in time for the big day. She also went along to the event and captured some brilliant photos for us to use in our comms.
When asked why she volunteered for us, and what she enjoyed, she said:
“I volunteered as part of my Gold DofE, as I thought it was an amazing local charity, and I also found it particularly inspiring because of my interest in psychology. I got to learn what a great impact this charity can have on people’s lives. It has been useful to gain more experience working in a more professional environment and seeing what that entails.
“A favourite moment for me was taking photos of the runners on the Cambridge half marathon. It was amazing to see these runners work so hard to support this charity, and particularly fun when we got them to put up a T for Tom’s Trust when taking photos of them.”
Yasmin has volunteered for Tom’s Trust for a few months now, supporting with our data reporting. She currently works as a lead project coordinator for a utilities company, as well as a swimming teacher. Outside of work, she enjoys going to the gym, fitness classes and spending time with her family and friends to unwind.
Yasmin says: “I hope to get involved in some fundraising events soon. The Tom’s Trust team have been a pleasure to work with since we were first introduced. I was put in touch with the team by a family member as I aspire to become a clinical child psychologist in the coming years.
“I feel honoured to be a part of a team who are supporting children and their families through incredibly difficult times. The void in psychological support provided by the NHS hasn’t gone unnoticed in recent years, with children undergoing critical treatments needing this support more than ever, as well as those closest to them.”
A huge thanks to our volunteers Ella and Yasmin and the many others who help us to spread awareness about Tom’s Trust, fundraise for us, and support us in so many ways.
*Why is volunteering important? – Volunteers’ Week (volunteersweek.org)