Hear from our volunteers
Click below to read our volunteers' stories.
Volunteer Stories
-
Emma's Story
I don’t actually know why I picked up the Age UK befriending leaflet in the doctor’s surgery back in January 2016, or what made me push ahead with an application. I’ve no shortage of hobbies, work commitments, and friends and enjoy nothing more than socialising. Maybe that was what touched a nerve - the idea that life circumstances had stripped someone of that...
-
Valerie's Story
I volunteer for the Age UK Buckinghamshire Hospital Discharge Support Service currently. I am also training for the Welfare Benefits team. I retired from the NHS in 2014, where I worked as a Community Mental Health Nurse. Although it was the right time for me to retire, I knew that I would miss some aspects of the job...
-
Katrina's Story
"It would be no exaggeration to say that Katrina, my Befriender has extended my life and without her I would be unhappy and solitary.
Becoming friends with one another has extended both our life experiences. We both have said that the age gap is a bonus... -
Hilary's Story
My name is Hilary and I have been a befriender with Age UK Bucks for many years. My role as a befriender is very varied. I first became involved, when I realised that there are a lot of people who are very isolated and lonely in the community, especially in rural areas, and often living alone...