Enjoyment from giving back

Its great that all these stories of volunteering are being shared and recognised. I've always loved sport and since finishing as a player, I've gained and learnt a huge amount from volunteering as a coach of local community youth rugby, cricket and latterly American football teams. I also volunteer as a dog walker and fosterer with both my local RSPCA centre and Canine Partners, and so have kept my dog-walking fix alive since our own dogs passed. On the work side, I volunteer as a reviewer for my professional body and I'm a STEM ambassador to schools, looking forward to supporting some face-to-face activities as well as the online events that evolved with lockdown.

Volunteering can be many different things to many people: developmental, fulfilling, empowering and life-affirming, and it's great to work for an organisation in which many see and promote its value. I hope this initiative is also useful in getting more buy-in from those who just pay lip service.