Milestones Trust calls for support - Volunteers Week (1-7 June)

New volunteer coordinator calls on local people to support their community during Volunteers Week (1-7 June)

Bristol's Milestones Trust has a wealth of volunteering opportunities to suit everyone

A Bristol-based social care provider and charity is calling on people in the city to take action and donate their time and skills to support vulnerable people in their local community.

The ask comes during national Volunteers' Week (1-7 June) from the new volunteer coordinator at Milestones Trust to highlight the wealth of opportunities for support that are available at the charity.

Sara Turrill has recently joined Milestones Trust after working with volunteers for over five years for charities such as The National Trust, Avon Wildlife Trust and most recently, Alive Activities. She has also been a volunteer herself on various projects, including as a volunteer gardening facilitator in care homes for older people.

Sara says: "I am very excited about working for Milestones Trust as it's an organisation whose values I really support and its work in care homes and in the community is so important.

"If you've ever considered volunteering and getting more involved in your local community but have not quite got around to it, Volunteers Week could be the perfect trigger to help you put your good intentions into practice.

"Individual volunteers are key to our work, as they can really support our service users to live fulfilling lives by befriending and supporting them with activities and trips, increasing their social interaction with new people from the community. In addition to our residential homes, we have a wealth of exciting community projects, such as Warmley Wheelers accessible cycling project, art groups and activity day centres."

Mark Watts currently volunteers at Milestones Trust's residential care home at Cleeve Hill, which supports people with learning disabilities, where he has transformed the garden. He explains:

"I have done voluntary work on and off for 20 years or so, working at Mencap and then running football teams for young people in Mangotsfield. I decided I wanted to do something really different and turned to gardening which I enjoy. The garden at Cleeve Hill was in a bad state when I got there but I've now been working on it weekly - cutting grass, planting, treating fences and so forth - and the place looks great. The manager and staff are first class, always making me feel welcome, valued and well supported. I have a daughter with special needs, so I understand the challenges some of the people here face. I get a lot of pleasure from volunteering and also do it because I believe in putting something back into society."

Rachel Jones volunteers as a swimming buddy with Milestones Trust, where she helps Paul who has severe anxiety and autism. A keen open water swimmer herself, she initially swam with him but now encourages him to swim independently.

"I really love swimming and believe it can play an important role in helping people with their mental health. It's so satisfying to see how much comfort Paul gets out of swimming - the difference between how he is before he gets in the water and afterwards is amazing; he's so much calmer and more relaxed.

"Milestones Trust have been great and provide on-going training and support, so I feel confident working with Paul and I now have practical skills in knowing how to deal with situations he could find challenging. They've also been very flexible with me, understanding that it's not always possible for me to commit to doing this every week, which has encouraged me to continue.

"I wanted to work with a local charity and I've been so impressed with the whole team at Milestones Trust. They way they've supported Paul has really helped improve his quality of life and I get great satisfaction from knowing I've contributed to that."

Milestones Trust has a long history of working with volunteers and now has a busy programme of over 50 individual volunteers and 50 groups of corporate volunteers per year.

"We welcome groups of corporate volunteers, who give their time to our care homes and supported living by leading on practical projects that we wouldn't otherwise have the capacity to do, such as painting, decorating and gardening," explains Sara. "We have also recently introduced a new initiative for corporate volunteers to support our staff on training including IT skills and inclusion and diversity, which has been hugely successful and beneficial."

Volunteers' Week is a chance to celebrate and say thank you for the fantastic contribution volunteers make across the UK, as well as encouraging new people to get involved.

Sara adds: "Through my own volunteering, I've got a great deal of satisfaction from supporting people to learn new skills and embrace challenges and the positive feeling that I'm able to contribute to my local community and give something back. If you've got a skill or some time you could share, we'd love to hear from you."

If you would like to find out more about either individual or group volunteer opportunities, please contact the volunteering team on: volunteering@milestonestrust.org.uk or 0117 9709356

Milestones Trust supports people with mental health needs, learning disabilities and dementia. For more information, visit www.milestonestrust.org.uk. If you're interested in working in the care sector, visit www.joinmilestonestrust.org.uk