Testimonials
We asked people what they thought?
Volunteer Testimonial
‘I started to volunteer with the Cholsey Volunteers due to having a break in my career and I feel privileged to be able to spend my spare time helping others.
I have met some really lovely people along the way and giving something back to the community gives me a great sense of satisfaction.
Having worked with children and families throughout my career, my time with the Cholsey Volunteers has enabled me to learn a great deal about working with older adults; for which I am very grateful.’
Service Recipient Testimonial
‘I would like to truly thank the wonderful Cholsey Volunteers
My father has had significant mobility and health issues over the last year and has been a resident in Cholsey for over 55 years. I live over a hundred miles away from my father and heard about the Cholsey Day Centre and their volunteers on Facebook and reached out to them during lockdown as I found it very difficult to support my father so far away and within the Coronavirus restrictions. From Day 1, the dedicated team of volunteers have supported and helped my father in so many ways. This has included signposting us to local services, delivering home cooked meals
and puddings (including delivering a wonderful dinner with all the trimmings on Christmas Day), regular weekly visits which my father very much looks forward to and includes a weekly treat bag (as well as an Easter and a Christmas Hamper). These have included such thoughtful gifts, crafts and edible treats lovingly handmade by local residents and volunteers including Cholsey Treehouse School. Of particular special note was the infamous handmade Lemon Meringue pie. This delicious lemon meringue pie has bought back the memory of his favourite dessert during his childhood in the 1940s.
I know that my father feels very cared for and supported by the wonderful team of
generous volunteers. This support has had a ripple effect on his whole family as it has given us such reassurance that he is so cared for and thought of by the wonderful Cholsey
volunteers. Thank you all so much, we do really appreciate it!’
Volunteer Testimonial
‘If someone told me two years ago that I would be spending my time meeting new people in our community, I would not have believed them. I was content living in my own little world, but an unexpected conversation changed things and I gave volunteering a go. I’ve tried different types of volunteering including Day Centre lifts, delivery of food parcels and maybe a doctor’s lift. The main thing I want to share here, is that I and other volunteers choose what we want to do, we commit where we can, and we adapt if our circumstances change. So, after two years, what keeps me volunteering? Well simply it’s the people, the places and the Potential. The people I meet at their homes or on my car journeys vary widely. Some are frail physically or mentally and need more lots of support; others are just
needing a helping hand. The warm greeting when you turn up at a house and know that what you are doing is really valued by that person and their family. The places I go to are special. Delivering food boxes or treat bags to younger
families is a unique activity and I’m very fond of these families and miss these people most when I have a holiday.
Providing lifts to The Day Centre has meant over time that I have met all of the folk who attend, and I will regularly stay for an hour after drop off and have coffee with them. Although I don’t directly volunteer within the centre, it is
one of the places that is very dear to me.
The Volunteer team have achieved a huge amount since Covid began and have won awards for their work. I am very excited about the potential for new projects and how we reach further.’
Service Recipient Testimonial
‘The Covid lockdowns presented me with real unexpected challenges. At the beginning I was told I was vulnerable, so had to stay at home and get everything delivered to me, to avoid coming into contact with anyone. How to do that as life had already become difficult, as my husband had just died, but then salvation! A note was popped through my door about a new group of volunteers who would help the people of Cholsey cope with Covid 19. Initially I rang the telephone number given to ask if they could help me by collecting my prescription and that afternoon a very pleasant young man knocked at my door to present me with a bag from the Pharmacy. He enquired if I was well and how I was coping with lockdown. We had a very pleasant chat for a few minutes. Shortly afterwards there was another knock on my door and another very friendly young man was standing there with a box of food treats. After that each week I received a “goodie parcel” of food with delicious cakes, chocolates, drinks and fruit, as well as sheets of puzzles and colouring for me to occupy some very empty days. I was absolutely delighted and the highlight of my week was Thursdays, when the goodie bag arrived and I had a lovely natter with the volunteer delivering it. As I have always been involved in volunteering throughout my retirement, as soon as I was allowed to leave my home and had received my vaccinations I was keen to get involved with The Cholsey Volunteers. They are such a warm, friendly group and I can certainly vouch for the wonderful work they have done. It is an honour to be able to give back to them someof the tremendous help they gave me during my long lockdown at home.’