make a differenceWhat The Trust Volunteers Do

A number of beneficiaries have been working with the Health & Wellbeing team for many years to provide support, information, advice and guidance to others and to share their own experience, knowledge and understanding of living with the effects of thalidomide.

Aims of the Trust's volunteer service

To provide confidential and understanding personal contact for those in need of support.

Volunteers work alongside and enhance the services provided by the Trust - they are not expected to be a replacement for the professional staff.  They are not necessarily trained as counsellors or benefit specialists (although some are) but they can provide practical and essential information and will signpost you to other relevant information or organisations when necessary.

Most importantly, the volunteer service is a peer-to-peer scheme and volunteers provide an empathetic insight and understanding of your situation. Beneficiaries who volunteer to help other beneficiaries are far more likely to understand the issues they are facing – because they are facing them too. Their skills and knowledge are invaluable to the Trust in making sure that beneficiaries get the right help and support based on a shared understanding.

Volunteering is also a great way for beneficiaries to feel part of the Trust’s community and use their own experiences in a positive, constructive way – for their own wellbeing as well as others’.

Support provided

Our volunteers provide support in a number of ways:

Talk Together Volunteers

TalkTogether is a telephone service offering conversation, moral support and understanding. Volunteers are assigned to another beneficiary who needs a ‘listening ear’ from someone who has gone through the same things and can offer understanding and experience. We make sure that volunteers are ‘matched’ to someone they can really help and ask that they make a regular commitment to them, if they need it, to provide continuity.

All contact is by phone and no personal details (like home addresses) are exchanged.

Everything is discussed in confidence unless both parties agree to share what's been discussed with someone at the Trust, or an appropriate third party.

Lift-Up Volunteers

Trained beneficiary Lift-Up volunteers support those who are experiencing low mood. The Lift-Up volunteer offers a beneficiary support via a weekly telephone call to help understand what low mood is and how to make changes to improve low mood.

Connect Volunteers

Connect Volunteers carry out a whole range of activities to help beneficiaries. Many have additional skills and experience and can receive additional training where appropriate. Connect volunteers and are able to offer help such as:

 

Find out more

How do I access a volunteer?

Find out how to get support

Become a volunteer

volunteer needed

Learn how to become a volunteer