Backchat

Juliet Wilson Volunteer, Water Of Leith Conservation Trust I LOVE the Water of Leith. It’s a living, breathing river that is an integral part of the community. The river starts 24 miles from its source in the Pentlands and winds its way through the heart of the capital to its outflow into the Firth of

Phil Edmonds Organiser, Cycle Renfrewshire YOU could easily describe me as the typical outdoor type. Watching the TV does nothing for me so it makes sense that I am active either through the club or many of the activities associated with my role. We established the club in 2003 from like minded individuals who wanted

Iain McCork Mountain Leader, Central Mountain Guides WE can trace our roots back to 1962 when our founder, Crawford McPhail, a well known mountaineer from the Lake District, moved to Scotland. He wanted to create a club in Callander, like he had done in his home town of Keswick, so Central Mountain Guides was born.

Ben Lofthouse Chair, Kinross Allotments WE created the allotments because there just wasn’t enough available locally. Council plots are at a premium so we purchased a brown site from Perth and Kinross Council and made them work. Our mission is to encourage activity and fitness through the allotments. To be honest they are actually just

Singer and conductor, Camelon Choristers WE unashamedly sing for cash then donate the proceeds to local charities in the Edinburgh/East Lothian area. Last year we raised over £5,000 by singing at events, private functions and business dinners with the proceeds going to children’s causes. Each year we pick a theme to which we donate; this

Claire Jansen Glasgow’s Literacy Project BEING a teacher is the last job I’d want to do but when a friend asked me to volunteer to help adult learners, I jumped at the chance. Working with adults is so much different from kids, largely because they want to learn. That was my original motivation. Despite having

Peter Mundell Irvine and Ayrshire History Society HISTORY is important. It makes us who we are and characterises a locale. That’s what we want to maintain while encouraging an active interest in the past. But it can be boring for many. Young people enjoy learning about the past but it can’t be angled around politics

Kristen Penshurst General Manager, Loxely Organics THE club started more though disorganisation than any concerted plan to create a voluntary group. We were actually first brought together at a Folk Concert in Inverness in 2006, made friends and realized we all shared a common philosophy, namely an interest in environmentalism but specifically sustainable production. Two

Christine Matthews Secretary, Kelvinside Kennel Club PEOPLE often ask what my motivation is for running a kennel club. I tell them, quite simply, it’s my love of dogs. The club actually goes back to the late 1970s when it was first formed in Bearsden by three owners of Lhaso Apsos. Then the breed was hardly

Tafada Makech Chair, Nigerian Settlers in Scotland I CAME to Scotland over 10 years ago as a refugee from my home country of Nigeria and since then I have not returned. I was a very young mother then and I left with my family because the local leaders in our hometown had warned us to

Jason Houlder Volunteer, Craigston Initiative I HAVE learning difficulties so finding work has always been hard. I’ve got qualifications, including a SVQ in hospitality, but finding work is still a challenge. So I spend three days each week volunteering, which I really enjoy. Recently I’ve been volunteering with the Craigston Initiative. They get me volunteering

Margaret Topping Chair, Eagleton Growers UNTIL recently allotments were seen as the preserve of the older person, especially men who would retreat to them against the wishes of their wives. Today that image couldn’t be further from reality as more and more young people – and more women – are getting involved in allotments. In

Jean Munro Volunteer, Carr Gomm VOLUNTEERING is not so far removed from work. You have to take it seriously and understand you have a lot of responsibility on your shoulders. In other words, you have to do it right and since I first started volunteering for Carr Gomm, I’ve given my all. I currently work

Jo Nickson Lothian Real Nappy Project Volunteer for Changeworks THE Lothian Real Nappy project is there to promote the use of real, washable nappies. I got involved because when I was pregnant with my daughter Holly, I wanted to use real nappies. I looked up the project’s website and went along to an information evening.

Paula Ribeiro Research volunteer, VDS I LOVE research. As a naturally inquisitive person I get a lot of enjoyment from digging into facts and figures. The sense of achievement you get from new discoveries is special and my love for this work has taken me on an interesting journey. As a teenager in my homeland

Thom Creswell London 2012 Olympic Volunteer WHEN I first volunteered to help out at the Olympics I thought it would be a once in a lifetime opportunity. But that was four years ago in Beijing and here I am again successfully picked to take part in London 2012. Beijing was amazing and incredibly well organised.

Jackie Kean Mothers Against Drugs AT first no-one thought a group of women from a housing estate from Glasgow could achieve anything, not even us. All we knew was that we couldn’t cope with the way drugs were affecting our children. Even the good kids were falling prey to addiction but what could we do?

Moira Teirney North Ayrshire Nosey Neighbours EVEN small groups can be the lifeblood of their community. Our tenant organisation works to help people living in supported accommodation. We’re all volunteers but mostly family and friends of tenants and therefore have a vested interest in their wellbeing. The group started on the back of concerns that

Charlotte Fields Campaigner, Road Sense MY mum wanted me to be a ballet dancer but somehow I knew from a very early age that was never going to be the case. What it did teach me however was that I had the strength of character never to blindly accept what anyone said to me. That

Gillian Gillespie Befriender, Befrienders Tayside BEFRIENDING is probably the easiest volunteering you could do. All you need is time, some patience and a listening ear. And, of course, an interest in people helps. Most people relate befriending to elderly people and while that is mostly true there are a lot more people needing support. People with

Margaret Semple Volunteer and trustee, Peebles Parent Support and Care Network WORKING with children who have disabilities is a hugely rewarding experience. When I first started volunteering six years ago it was a new world to me. It was as much through chance as design that I became involved. I lived in Peebles at the time

Clem Jenkins Chair, St Leonards Community Council IT’S true some community councils are not so well run as others. Ours is small: we were established about six years ago and represent about 300 people in the St Leonards area of East Kilbride and we like to think we are one of the better ones. I

Pete Tellwaite Volunteer fundraiser IT was a split second, a flash, then a bang followed by what I can only describe as a period of total, almost blissful, silence. Yet here I was, thousands of miles from home, in the middle of nowhere, knowing that I was facing death, and if I survived my life

Liz McLean Duncanrig Parent Teachers Association I NEVER quite realised how much of my time would be taken up by volunteering for Duncanrig PTA. Before my children moved up to high school I volunteered in their after school club and though this took up only a few hours of my weekdays, it was the catalyst

  Daycare Cleland  VOLUNTARY-run playgroups are nothing new but we were created on the back of necessity after parents complained about a lack of affordable provision.  North Lanarkshire is probably no different from other areas though a lot of parents do not have high levels of disposable income. Therefore we got together, created a moratorium

Bethany Watson, Sainsbury’s volunteer co-ordinator. I’M lucky in my job that I’ve got the best of both worlds. I’m a regional training manager for Sainsbury’s West of Scotland but a year ago was asked to become a volunteer co-ordinator by my managers, largely because I’m always out and about and in touch with lots of

I COME from farming stock, in Dorset, so living off the land is in my blood. I was brought up to believe that farmers were the guardians of the land as they didn’t mindlessly destroy what they could use. That rings true today though they face very difficult times. So it was a natural progression

BEING a Scout leader isn’t like volunteering; it’s more like brininging up your own children. I’ve been involved with boys clubs since I joined the Cubs when I was seven and I still have the same sense of adventure I did then. That’s really the essence of the Scouts movement – excitement and adventure. Ok

GARDENING is a therapeutic pastime and when I first arrived in Glasgow in 2007 I immediately got involved with Thrive, the mental health gardening charity. It made me realise how much people from other countries are isolated when they become asylum seekers so it led me to volunteer with Glasgow in Bloom. Three years on

SINCE I was as young as I can remember I’ve been fascinated with the cosmos. I remember my dad taking me out to the garden and looking at the night sky with his telescope – an old Gama 82 which, even by today’s standards, was a serious piece of kit. My enthusiasm never relented, though

WE wanted to create a way in which youth clubs interacted more with the wider community so we started the Young People’s Forum three years ago.

PEOPLE find it strange that sports clubs are also charities or voluntary groups. Heathway Archery Club is one of the most popular in East Lothian, if not the country, and our history has roots stretching back to the 1930s. I’m the chair which means I’m both the figurehead and the person where the buck stops

Danny Granger RNLI volunteer crew member BECOMING a volunteer with the RNLI was an easy choice. My father was a lifeboatman as was his brother so I was always aware of the organisation and what the job involved. The most important side to remember is the danger. Basically you risk your life to save others

CREATING a mental health user group is not as simple as it might seem. Despite being totally self-funded, we still need to maintain a level of organisation that is transparent and accountable to members. We have a voluntary board of four who have all experienced mental health issues themselves; I have too. The group came

Patrick Stanley Volunteer co-ordinator Carbon Neutral Kincardine   I wouldn’t describe my volunteer role as a traditional one. I advise and inform people about energy efficiency and how to lead a carbon neutral lifestyle. It’s not prescriptive – I give advice to those who are interested and don’t go chapping on doors like an evangelist.

Lisa Morrison tells TFN about her volunteering experience

RECYLING is a dirty job, not many people realise that.

PRO bono work is hugely satisfying. It is both a way of giving something back to the community and helping those in genuine need. I’ve been a practicing lawyer for 12 years, during which I have always given a few hours a week to pro-bono work.  Lawyers are pretty overworked these days, probably more than

NOBODY could ever say starting a charity is easy. I’ve been involved in numerous start-ups with each having unique challenges. And each time I swore “never again!”

In 2003, I stuck a poster in the local shop and we held a meeting that over 20 folk came to. We had so many ideas; people were interested in looking into the history of the local shops, family histories, ship wrecks and the Second World War. We’re a very active group with a membership

Steven Wright Manager, Duns Youth Centre This is my first youth centre managerial post and within six months, I was off on secondment for 20 hours a week, raising some eyebrows among the staff team. It was a real journey over the following six months. The idea was to look at our area as a

NAME: Andrew Abbess POSITION: School bicycle proficiency trainer SINCE I was a boy I’ve always loved cycling. To me it was all about freedom and you always got a sense of adventure when you were on your bike. I’m a physical education teacher by profession so I know how important cycling is to young people’s