Our Stories

People sometimes ask me why I give up a day a week to volunteer, as though it were a sacrifice. The truth is I get more out of it than I put in.

I started at Seaview two years ago, after I retired. I had time on my hands and a vague sense that I ought to be useful. I imagined I would be handing out sandwiches and not much else. What I found was something far richer.

My Wednesdays are spent in the wellbeing centre, mostly just talking to people. That might not sound like much of a job, but conversation turns out to be one of the things people miss most when life has knocked them sideways. I have sat with folk who have not had a proper chat in weeks. I have listened to stories that stayed with me long after I went home.

I have learned not to make assumptions. The people who come through our doors are not a category. They are individuals, each with a history, a sense of humour, and opinions about the football. One gentleman I see most weeks used to be a teacher. Another writes poetry that is far better than anything I could manage.

What Seaview does well, and what keeps me coming back, is that it treats everyone with the same ordinary courtesy. Nobody is a case number here. That matters more than any programme or policy.

If you have ever thought about volunteering and talked yourself out of it, I would gently suggest you stop overthinking it. You do not need special training or a saintly disposition. You need a bit of time and a willingness to listen. The rest, you learn as you go. I certainly did.