I have been volunteering with Carers Bucks for about four years now. Long enough to know exactly where everything lives in the village hall kitchen — and more importantly, how everyone takes their tea.
I help at my local Adult Carers Support Group. My role is simple. I make the teas and coffees. I keep an eye on the biscuits. I make sure there is something warm in people’s hands while they talk. It might not sound like much, but anyone who has ever walked into a room full of strangers knows that a cup of tea helps.
The reason I started volunteering is personal. My husband has Alzheimer’s. Living with that changes the shape of your days. It brings questions you never thought you would have to ask, and feelings you cannot always explain.
The support group meetings have been a real help to me. The conversations are honest. No one pretends it is easy. You can say things there that you might not say anywhere else. You pick up tips. Small practical things. But also reassurance — the kind that only comes from someone who truly understands.
When a call went out asking for volunteers to help, I did not overthink it. I stepped up. I was already attending. I knew how valuable the group was. If making drinks and helping out behind the scenes meant the group could keep running smoothly, then that felt like the least I could do.
Volunteering has not stopped there for me. For many years I have also supported Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care. I currently volunteer in the Holmer Green shop on Saturday mornings. Retail with a purpose, you could say. It is busy, friendly, and full of stories. Every donated item feels like it carries a bit of someone’s life with it.
In the past, I have also been a volunteer driver for Prestwood Area Community Transport. That role was different again. Less kettle, more car keys. But the aim was the same — helping people get where they needed to be.
What I have learnt over the years is that volunteering does not have to be complicated. It can fit around your life. It can grow as your time and energy allow.
If I were giving advice to someone new, I would say this: just come along. That first step is often the hardest. Especially if you are a carer yourself. It can feel daunting to walk into a room and talk about personal things. But the meetings are genuinely useful. You hear ideas. You discover support you did not know existed. And you realise you are not the only one navigating this path.
For me, volunteering is not about grand gestures. It is about steady presence. A cup of tea placed in someone’s hand. A Saturday morning in a charity shop. A lift offered when it is needed.
It is about community — and knowing that even in the middle of something as hard as Alzheimer’s, there are still ways to give, connect, and be part of something beyond your own front door.
