We love this time of the month: when we get to shout about our amazing volunteers and the quite literally life changing work that they do to help Fresh Futures run smoothly and effectively.
This month we are giving a very special THANK YOU to Caty Illingworth, who has been volunteering as a befriender for 4 years.
We caught up with Caty to hear about her Fresh Futures Volunteering Journey so far…
- Name: Caty Illingworth
- Tell us a little about yourself? I am self employed and my business is all about developing high performance in people and teams – my background is learning and development. I have a 6 year old son who keeps me entertained and is named after my favourite place in Italy (Lucca) – I love all things Italian, running and cooking.
- How long have you been volunteering for the charity? I have been volunteering for 4 years now
- Please explain your volunteering role in a nutshell: My role is to befriend people in our community who may otherwise be lonely or isolated.
- What made you want to start volunteering with YCC? When my son was very small I watched ‘Nursing home for 4 year olds’ and thought it would benefit older people in the community and my son to connect the older and younger generations. I also know that in her later years my Nan really would have appreciated the company of a volunteer.
- Sum up a typical day of volunteering for you: I mainly listen to and chat with my friend, and sometimes help her with basic jobs around the home, shopping, making calls (she’s hard of hearing) and occasionally take her for a trip to a cafe.
- And finally, what advice would you give to people considering volunteering with YCC? Give it a try – it’s good for the soul and very rewarding. I also always think that I never know whether I might need a befriended when I’m older. It can take as much or little time as you want it to, but makes a huge difference, just by you being there.
If you feel inspired to become a volunteer like Caty, or if you would like to volunteer in any way for our charity, please contact Lucy on 01484 519988 or email [email protected]