Volunteering Never Gets Old!

Our new campaign highlights the benefits of volunteering later in life

Tackling isolation, improving physical and mental health, learning new skills and encouraging social connection are just some of the benefits that volunteering can bring in later life, as highlighted by a new campaign launched in Belfast this week.

Through ‘Volunteering Never Gets Old’, led by Age Friendly Belfast and Volunteer Now and funded by the Public Health Agency (PHA), people aged 60 and above are being encouraged to try volunteering to experience the positive impact it can have on individuals, organisations and the wider community.

Throughout Belfast and beyond there are many organisations, community projects, and support services that rely on the help of volunteers to exist and thrive.  Several older volunteers from Belfast have been sharing their experiences as part of the campaign, including Rosaleen (82) and Jim (68).

Rosaleen is a volunteer with the West Belfast 50+ Forum and has experience in bringing ‘mobile volunteering activities’ to people who may struggle to volunteer otherwise.

“I found myself in a position where I couldn’t work anymore because I’d had a lifechanging injury,” said Rosaleen. “I tried volunteering and it turned everything around. I found a sense of purpose again. I had thought my life was over, when actually it was just beginning.”

Jim from Belfast is a volunteer driver, bringing people in the community to hospital appointments and social gatherings:

“I drove all my life through work and after I retired, I didn’t have much get up and go,” said Jim. “When I started volunteer driving, I had something to get out for again. It’s a pleasure to chat with people in the car and help them but it helps me too. I feel like my old self again.”

Older volunteers have a lot to offer as well as gain through volunteering, as Lindsay Armstrong of Volunteer Now explains:

“Volunteers of all ages have something important to bring to a role. When volunteers are a little older, they often have valuable life experience and perhaps more free time.

“Whilst people might think of volunteering as a selfless task, there are so many benefits for the individual and those don’t dissipate as you age. If anything, as we age, the importance of social connection and remaining physically and mentally active, is more crucial than ever. Loneliness and social isolation in older people are associated with a decline in mental health and cognitive function as well as increasing a risk of chronic health conditions. Volunteering is an enjoyable and proven way of helping combat these issues,” said Lindsay.

Age Friendly Belfast is part of the Healthy Ageing Strategic Partnership (HASP), a group of organisations leading on age-friendly work across Belfast city.

Ciara McClements, Chair of HASP, adds:

“We want Belfast to be a great place to grow older. Through projects like this, we can help older people in Belfast live happier, healthier, and more connected lives. There is such broad range of opportunities in Belfast, from community projects to charity events, befriending schemes to conversation groups and men’s sheds. We hope that by sharing stories like Jim’s, Rosaleen’s and others through this campaign, we will see an uplift in volunteers from this important age bracket. Volunteering changes lives for the better and you’re never too old to be part of it.”

Diane McIntyre, Interim Head of Health and Social Wellbeing Improvement (Belfast and South Eastern areas) at the PHA, said:

“The PHA is delighted to support this awareness campaign to attract older people to volunteer. There are a wide range of opportunities currently available, from befriending, gardening, driving and volunteering at special events and much more. Growing evidence documents the strong association between volunteering and favourable health and wellbeing outcomes, helping address social isolation which many people can experience.

“Volunteering is also a great way to incorporate the ‘Take 5 steps to wellbeing’ into your everyday life. Through these people are encouraged to connect, be physically active, learn a new skill, give to others, and take notice to appreciate what is around us. We hope we see an upsurge in the number of people over 60 taking up volunteering in Belfast.”

Some opportunities that might be of interest to people over 60 are:

• Bluegrass Festival Volunteers in Omagh (May)
• Discover Centre Volunteers: Ulster Museum (on going)
• Transport Store Tours: Heron Road, Off Airport Road (next shift 23 April)
• Wild Ireland Exhibition Volunteers: Ulster Museum (from April – August)
• Download the latest volunteering opportunities sheet for the Belfast area

To find volunteering roles throughout Belfast and other regions across Northern Ireland, visit our homepage www.volunteernow.co.uk or phone us on 028 9023 2020.