This week is Volunteers’ Week and here at Ageless Thanet we are taking time to celebrate the fantastic work that our volunteers do.
Ageless Thanet volunteers are an integral part of our vision to make Thanet a great place to grow older, they are involved across all areas of the project and help us in reducing isolation and loneliness, empowering communities, improving people’s mental and physical wellbeing and ensuring older people’s voices are heard. A big thank you to all our fantastic volunteers who make wonderful things happen daily and are truly inspirational.
Steve is one of the lovely volunteers who does a fantastic job, hosting weekly one to one IT drop in sessions at the Ageless Thanet Feelgood Factory, to support older people to feel more confident with technology. Due to his declining health, Steve decided to take redundancy from his career in IT and found himself with time on his hands. After seeing an advert at the Ageless Thanet Feelgood Factory seeking volunteers to give IT support, he decided to get in touch.
Steve said: “After 35 years of experience working in IT I felt I was now in a position personally to share my skills, having more time to offer towards helping others these days. I really enjoy volunteering here; it keeps my brain active and gives me reason to keep up to date with the latest hardware and software. I have truly appreciated this opportunity to meet new people and make new acquaintances; people now even stop to say ‘Hi Steve’ when they see me out and about in town. I like that!”
As well as helping people with their technology issues, Steve prides himself on being able to help people over 50 stay safe online. He has provided advice on how to deal with emails from strangers and setting up “safe” contact lists. One of his personal aims is to help Thanet’s 50+ residents avoid personal security issues and reassure them of any concerns they might have of going online.
We believe there is a volunteering opportunity for everyone, regardless of qualifications of experience. You might like to use specific skills (such as a language or an art specialism), share your own interests (like walking or a specific craft) or perhaps you really only feel confident; to offer a friendly welcoming face to people looking to share a coffee and chat with others.
We’re here to help anyone that can give a little of their time, so if you would like to volunteer we’d love for you to get in touch. Please call the office on 01843 210005, or email [email protected]. To hear from some of our other wonderful volunteers, take a look at the video below.
Ageless Thanet, led by Social Enterprise Kent, is part of Ageing Better, a programme set up by The National Lottery Community Fund. Ageing Better aims to develop creative ways for older people to be actively involved in their local communities, helping to combat social isolation and loneliness. For more information about the work that we do at Ageless Thanet, please visit our website – www.agelessthanet.org.uk.