I’d recommend volunteering to others without any hesitation. Do it. Find an opportunity, or, even better, create an opportunity. Stay in your comfort zone or push yourself outside it. Do whatever you want to do, whatever drives you or whatever you’re passionate about. Most importantly, get out there and make a difference.
I’ve been working at Novacroft for a good number of years and I’ve been aware of the option to take paid days for volunteering. But I hadn’t used them until recently. When an opportunity came up to help out with a major project to reinstate a dam and wildlife pond at my local ‘Pocket Park’, I wanted to be part of it, and the paid volunteering days were the catalyst.
I already volunteer at the Pocket Park in my own time, so my impression of volunteering is a positive one, based on experience. I think it has a fantastic amount of benefit. The opportunity to do something different and valuable to me and others whilst also being paid is a huge attraction, a great chance to roll up my sleeves and help the community.
The Pocket Park is a lovely community space provided by community volunteers, which also provides an important habitat for wildlife. It’s used by local residents as well as by the local playgroup and primary school.
Relying on the goodwill and time of enthusiastic local people and businesses to provide the manpower, drive and often the finances to keep them going, the Pocket Park is like many other projects. Volunteering can take on many forms – for me, the prospect of spending a day up to my knees in mud was bizarrely appealing as it’s very different to sitting in front of a laptop!
I was one of a number of volunteers, including a whole team from Anglian Water. They had a project manager, materials, 15 or so volunteers and a trailer full of tools. We started early and had the obligatory health and safety briefing before heading down to the pond/stream. There were a number of tasks to complete during the day and everybody was encouraged to do something they felt comfortable doing and would enjoy. Tasks included cutting back trees, digging out mud, moving railway sleepers, damming the stream… I spent the majority of the morning in 2 feet of mud. The camaraderie was fantastic – I got to meet loads of people and talk to/at them for hours. Everybody was there because they had chosen to be, so there was no sense of disgruntlement at the task. Some people worked harder than others, but there was no sense of pressure to shift a certain number of shovels of mud or meet a Service Level Agreement! We’d arranged for refreshments to be provided (another volunteering opportunity), so we all had a break for lunch and I continued talking to/at people. The afternoon was more digging, culminating in a full pond and fantastic sense of group achievement. We ended the day with real pride in the difference we’d made – an outside space that will be enjoyed by hundreds of people from the local community and beyond. As it’s local to me, it has provided an almost obsessive/protective connection with this area of our Pocket Park!
Do I think volunteering benefits employees and the companies they work for? Yes. It gives team members the opportunity to offer their services and time to causes that they care about without worrying about using annual leave. The experiences of volunteering and the mindset that it nurtures help to make people more rounded individuals with a broader view of society and the positive impact that we can have if we choose to.
Now, I’m planning a nature trail for our Pocket Park with a committee of other local volunteers. We’re creating an interactive/informative map and information leaflet for the trail to go on a website. I’m also continuing to volunteer in my own time (every month or so for a couple of hours on a Saturday/Sunday morning). Watch this space…
