DB Openhand Magazine_June2017

All about volunteering!
Giving
Something Back
Volunteering is something
we take very seriously at
Deafblind UK and having
recently celebrated national
volunteering week, we would
like to encourage all of our
readers, their friends and family
to consider giving something
back to the local community.
Volunteering can
help you to:
• nReap the rewards of
helping others
• nGive back to causes who
have helped you
• nMeet new people with
shared interests
• nGain new skills
• nImprove your confidence
A man being assisted
by a volunteer
Building a
successful service
Deafblind UK would not
be the success it is today
without the help of our
dedicated volunteers.
Our current UK team is made
up of over 300 volunteers and
they have an immeasurable
impact on our members,
whether they are providing
company on a day out, lending
their talents to gardening
and DIY, or simply driving
someone to an appointment
or social group.
Our volunteers come from all
walks of life and they do not
need any special skills to assist
our members. We provide an
induction and on-going support
to all of our volunteers, but
what they give us is priceless.
Our volunteers help us to reach
out to some of our loneliest
members, particularly through
our home befriending scheme.
Volunteers help members to
not only live an easier life by
assisting them with their day
to day tasks, but also a more
enriched one, knowing they
have a friend to lean on when
they need it most.
As a growing charity,
looking after our increasing
membership base becomes
more and more costly,
and we would not be able
to provide the breadth of
services we currently offer
without the hours given
up by our kind volunteers.
Here’s an insight into
volunteering as told by our
home befriender, Jackie.
Deafblind UK
volunteers gardening
Deafblind UK
volunteer, Jackie
Meet
Jackie
Jackie is a retired Chartered
Physiotherapist from London
who is a home befriender to two
members: Peter and John.
“I visit Peter and John in their
homes every other week. We
have a cup of tea and chat
together – we get on very
well! Peter likes to take a walk
around the local park’s herb
garden for all its different smells
and tastes. He’s also learning
a deafblind manual, so I’m
learning too!
“John is less mobile so we spend
more time indoors. I help him
write Christmas cards and fill in
his address book and also make
lots of cups of tea! I’ve been a
home befriender for a year now
and spend 2.5 hours a week
volunteering.
“It makes a big difference when
you know you’re as appreciated
by the charity as you are by the
people you befriend.”
26 Open Hand
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