We continue our National Volunteering Week series, with a story from Elaine Kelly, who tells us how – like many volunteers-  she gains as much from her volunteering with ALONE as she gives, in terms of the satisfaction that comes from knowing that you are making a difference.  

“My name is Elaine.  I’m a nurse for special needs children in their homes.  In the last few years I’ve only needed to work about 15 hours a week and I have felt increasingly that I should be doing something useful with the additional spare time.  Having married relatively late in life, and having know what it is to feel very lonely, I opted to Volunteer with ALONE.

During the initial Covid lockdown I was phoning a list of seniors who were cocooning, once a week to check if they needed any help and generally for a natter!  It was great to feel useful at that difficult time for everyone.  I am still volunteering with ALONE but now I visit a delightful gentleman once a week in his nursing home.  We have access to a Smart TV and he gets me up to load Youtube videos of pipe bands and we have a great time discussing what the Pipe Major is signalling and what all the different hat styles mean!!  The staff tell me he looks forward to seeing me as he gets so few visitors and he is always anxious to book me in again at reception as I leave. This does my little old heart a leap as well.  Nice to be wanted!!”